Strange Songbird
by Argleblather
Summary: A Trainee from beyond the Pelagirs arrives at Haven, with a powerful Gift for Empathy, and causes turmoil for Vanyel. *Spoilers for the books within. *I don't own the characters I don't own. *I suck at summaries. *Read and Review if you like to do that.
1. Chapter 1: Return to Haven

_This is a work of derivative fiction, based on Mercedes Lackey's _Last Herald Mage_ trilogy. She owns the characters and settings she owns, not me. _

_*Note: I just wanted to write slashyness, but the story has kind of gotten away from me at that point and taken on a life of its own.  
_

"Is Cheron back yet?" Savil brushed through the hallways, into the courtyard outside the Collegium, her face tense with worry and the strain of pacing the hallways. It had been nearly a season since she had left Cheron at the eastern Border, the boundary between Valdemar and the Pelagirs beyond. The lands to the south housed myriad strange creatures, unnatural and vile, making the holdings at the southern end of the country that much more dangerous. It was said that at times wyverns and great serpents inhabited the skies over the mountains to the south. It was rare enough for Heralds to venture past the border, and unheard of for normal citizenry.

Cheron had been sent off to track down a Companion that had ventured out to Choose half a season ago, and not been heard from since. Generally, it was left at the discretion of the Companion to make their choice and bring them back to Haven on their own. Generally, however, Companions didn't customarily venture that far to the East. Even as a Companion strode at a gallop it was a fortnight just to the border.

The Herald-Mage Cheron, had volunteered himself to seek out the missing Companion himself. He'd been raised at one of the Border holdings, and was more familiar than most with the strange creatures that often inhabited the peripheral vision of hunters in the woods at the Border. In truth, he'd been curious about the Pelagirs since he was a boy, venturing into the woods as close to the Border as he dared. He'd heard the rumors as a boy, of wild men who disappeared past the border, living as savages, never to be seen again. Beyond that, Ilia was his Companion- Aravel's, offspring. Part of Cheron's insistence at heading into the Pelagirs, came at the insistence of his Companion.

From the time she was a foal, Ilia had been headstrong and as adventurous as Aravel's Chosen, a fact that caused her sire no small amount of consternation. Aravel's tendency to be overprotective and his growing worry over Ilia's absence had only increased his demands that they seek Ilia out, to ensure her safe return.

It was the same kind of tense worry that had plagued Savil's mind ever since Cheron crossed the border and disappeared into the woodlands beyond. Although Cheron wasn't her son; even she was still too young for that, he had been one of her trainees before he made Whites, and she still felt responsible for him. She resisted the urge to drag Ereth down from his Companion and simply throttle the answers from him.

"Peace, Savil. Yes, Cheron and Aravel are on their way back. Dorian passed them coming in the South Gate." Ereth slid down from the saddle and took a moment to stretch and drive Savil mad for a moment before answering her. He knew she had been pacing the halls- _Gods know she's nearly worn grooves in her own quarters._ "They should be arriving shortly. And ah- Ilia and her Chosen are with them." He gave Savil a look she couldn't quite read.

"And?" She thrust her beaky nose forward, folding her arms across her chest.

"And they're all in the appropriate number of pieces, Savil. I can't tell you anything more than that, don't have any additional information to offer." He offered a shrug, dusting himself off, removing his Companion's saddle and riding halter, heading toward the stables. Savil resisted the urge to run out to the Collegium gate when it opened, Cheron and Aravel leading a rather chipper looking Ilia, and her Chosen, whose face was concealed with a dark hood.

"By the Gods, I was starting to worry I'd never see you again! Get over here-" She pulled him down from the saddle, embracing him tightly, soothing mostly herself and her own frazzled nerves. Cheron patted her shoulder, knowing all too well that in this case, resistance was futile. He dismounted, turning to the rider behind him, motioning for him to follow he and Aravel to the stables.

Savil came back to her senses, releasing Cheron from her grip, nodding to Ilia's newly Chosen. "Welcome to Haven, I am Herald Mage Savil Ashkevr-" Cheron cut her off with a wave, shaking his head. "We- have some talking to do. First the Companions, then settling Raveyne into a room. Then- some explanations."

_He's right. First things first. _The Herald Mage nodded, resting a hand on Cheron's shoulder, "Get something to eat as well, that hasn't been beaten to death in a pack. There's plenty of time to talk later."


	2. Chapter 2: Ilia's Chosen

A few candlemarks passed while Cheron tended to the Companions, consulting with the Seneschal to find the new trainee room in the castle, supplying him with a uniform and a map of the Collegium. It was a routine Savil herself had undergone many times before. It was uncertain if Cheron would end up working with the new trainee or not. If their skills matched up well, already having a report might benefit them both.

In case Cheron hadn't managed to find something to eat, Savil ordered up a simple meal of bread and cheese, and a bit of fresh fruit to round things out. Likely Cheron hadn't had anything fresh in a fortnight. By the time the younger Herald arrived Savil had run out of tasks to occupy her time, and was beginning to pace again. She exhaled a sigh of relief when Cheron tapped on her door, letting himself in. Fatigue from the long ride back was writ across his face as he sank into a chair by the fire. "There's some cider on the table, if you'd like." She sat back, waiting for him to start wherever he felt appropriate.

"Savil- has a Companion ever Chosen- a non-human, that you can recall?" He poured a glass of cider, allowing that to take his attention rather than his teacher.

"What?" She frowned, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "What are you talking about?"

"The boy- Ilia's Chosen, I don't know what he is, but he's plainly not human. He's got- these ears-" He gestured with his fingers, drawing exaggerated points over his own ears with his fingertips, "And- he doesn't speak Common, or Karsite, or any other language that I can fathom. Ilia through Aravel assured me he can speak, in his own language, and a few others, but gods be damned if I can fathom what those are." He rubbed his thumb tensely between his brows and shook his head. "I know Companions don't Choose wrongly, but good Gods- it's not even a matter of dialect, he doesn't speak Common whatsoever."

Savil blinked in surprise, tugging her hair back into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. "Well, it's true they don't choose wrongly, but you're right, it will be- a challenge, to teach him. Did you get a sense of what his Gifts might be? If he has Mindspeech, then maybe-"

Cheron shook his head and sipped at the cider. "That's the other thing. I- well, I was able to communicate with him third-hand, through Aravel and Ilia, but no Mindspeech. What he does have, is a tremendous gift for Empathy- he was projecting all over the place, and Reading everything within a half a day's ride, so far as I could tell. Ilia managed to keep shields on him, but if he doesn't learn to shield and fast, it's going to be a-"

"-disaster. Driving everyone in the collegiums half-mad, you're right. Gods, as if there weren't enough going on lately."

"The Companions can keep shields on him for now, but yes, something is going to have to be done." He half smiled, lifting his glass with a bemused grin, "To new challenges-" Savil indulged him with a lift of her own glass. "Speaking of which, dear Lady, how's your little challenge going? Your nephew?"

Savil's smile vanished, replaced with flared nostrils and a slight grimace. "The peacock? He's collected quite a little- coterie of admirers around him, and spends all of his free time with them, being cosseted and preening." She shook her head, tugging at the end of her beaky nose, "I don't know what his father expects me to do with him. No- that's not true, I know what he expects. He expects me to make a man of him, and send him home to be the head of the Holding. Even I can see the boy isn't cut from the same cloth as his father, and there's no way he's going to be happy living out there at the edge of the world. Damned if I know what to do with him outside of knowing what he's not good for, I've no bloody idea what he _is_ good for." _How I wish that weren't true. But at the present, all he's been good for has been keeping Tylendel's mind off that thrice-damned feud of his family's. At least that's something though; as long as Withen doesn't find out and jerk him home before he's of age. _

"I'm sure the answer to that will come, in time, dear one. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to see if there's any hot water at all, and ride my own bed for a change."

"Of course, sleep well. And I'll see if I can come up with a Mindspeaker who can communicate with the new ward-" She nodded, standing to hug Cheron tightly before sending him off with the rest of the bread and fruit, and orders to get some of it in his mouth before he passed out.


	3. Chapter 3: Interview with a Stranger

_I suppose there's no time like the present._ Early the next morning, just after breakfast, Savil headed down the hallway, and up several staircases. Cheron mentioned to her that he situated the new Trainee in the tower, with a few stories between he and the rest of the inhabitants than the Collegium. At least that way, if he did start projecting, the number of people within his immediate circle of influence would be somewhat reduced. The strategy was sound, although Savil questioned the wisdom of isolating the boy. Despite her regular conditioning at the salle, by the time she reached the top of the stairs, her breath rasped in her throat, and she paused before tapping lightly at the door. _Blast, what did Cheron say his name was?_ She cleared her throat, trying to wait patiently for the boy to open the door.

When he did, Savil had a brief moment where it seemed the room was empty until she realized the lad was hiding behind the heavy oak door. She Reached forward tentatively with her thoughts, touching his mind with a quiet thought. He was heavily shielded, by Ilia, and Aravel as well if her guess was correct. :_Can you hear me lad?:_ She stepped into the room, waiting for him to come out from behind the door. He stooped forward, making it hard to get a reading on his height, but he was easily a handspan taller than she was. His head was covered in a dark hooded cloak, obscuring his features, preventing her from getting a good look at him. He nodded once he was settled in, and Savil had the curious sensation that he was Watching her, Reading what she felt, even with the Companions heavy shielding keeping him from projecting. It was a strange sensation, one of the first things a Herald learned was to shield, both to keep the self in- and others out. _:Do you mind, if I talk with you here, lad? If you direct your thoughts at me, I should be able to Hear you-:_

_:I do not mind. I have known others before to Speak this way.:_ His words, even in his head were carefully guarded, and under the shadow of his cloak his face couldn't be seen clearly enough to give anything away. Inwardly, Savil breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least he wasn't averse to Mindspeech, and had a little more than a passing familiarity with the concept.

_Thank the gods for small favors. :My name is Herald-Mage Savil Ashkevron.:_ She forced a slight smile, hoping to put him at ease. The gods only knew that her people skills weren't the most polished in the Collegium, her talents ran more toward magics and teaching than reading people. She sighed a little in frustration at herself.

_:Raveyne Feoras. People call me Rae.:_ He directed at her, and again she had the sensation of being Watched. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

_:Good, Rae it is then.:_ The Herald nodded, watching the dark shape where his eyes were, _:Ilia then, has explained some, about the Heralds of Valdemar, and what it means to be here?:_

_:Yes, some. She said that she Chose me, that she Wants me to be here with her, to learn.:_

Savil nodded, and hoped that Ilia had been a bit more explicit than that. If the boy was going to be a Herald, it might serve him well to know what exactly that meant. _:Cheron, who traveled back with you- he- blast. I'm no good at all this pussyfooting around and manners. Cheron said that you're- not human lad. Perhaps we'd better start there, with you telling me a little about yourself. And- with you coming out of hiding, for starters.: _She gestured to the hood covering his face.

The boy nodded, and slowly lifted his hands to remove his cloak, revealing pale green eyes, watching her intently. His features were human, except for the long points of his ears, poking out from under his dark hair. Except for the slight crooked lines in his jaw and nose, his face was fairly average looking. Handsome, though not quite with the finely drawn features of her nephew, the peacock, nor the good natured homeliness of her previous apprentice Gadred. It was his eyes that kept her captive, under dark brows and lashes, they seemed to change colors rapidly, from blue to green and back again. The older woman shook off his intent gaze, looking back at him. _:There, see? That's not so bad. Now, about yourself-:_

_:I'm- my people are Arcanic. They- feel things very loudly. Elves, not so loudly. Humans, maybe are numb from the neck up.:_ Savil coughed laughter, startling the boy and he pulled back into the chair, tucking his knees protectively against his chest. The sensation of being Read intensified, and Savil realized he was checking to see if he should fight, or flee. Even through the shields, Savil could Sense his alarm, and see it plastered across his face. _:It's all right, I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you, lad.:_

She sat back in the chair, giving him a moment to uncurl from the safety of the chair, although he still eyed her warily. She did her best to remain calm and nonthreatening inside and out, lest he recoil again. Savil noted that it was going to take someone with a light touch to work with the boy, he was remarkably touchy, and probably feeling incredibly out of place. _Poor lad. Even the most backwoods bumpkin who lands in Haven can at least _speak_ the language. _

_:I am all right.:_ There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, physical and mental in which the two simply watched each other. Savil watched to make certain he wasn't going to vanish on her, Rae watching to make certain she was finished with her outbursts.

_:Where- do your people live, lad? I admit, up here the rumors about your country tend more toward- monsters and barbarians, than prospective Heralds:_ It was better for him to get an idea of what he'd be in for in his classes straight away. With any luck, not too many of the trainees would have heard about him, and where he was from, before he started classes. He couldn't hide his ears forever, but the sooner he could learn the language- the easier it would be for him to fit in.

_:Indoors, mostly.: _Savil was rewarded with a slight smirk and a faintly arched eyebrow, which she happily returned, breathing a sigh of relief to see a little humor coming out in the boy. Perhaps this wasn't going to be an unmitigated disaster after all. _:Houses, manors if they are wealthy. Not so different to this I think. This is much nicer than what my family afforded.:_

Truly, the room at the top of the tower was rather comfortable. Beastly hot in the summertime if the windows were closed, but warmed by a hearth, with a separate sitting room, and a spacious bedroom. Once he was equipped with study materials and his own gear for training in the salle, it would fill up quickly, but right now there was ample room to spread out. The two rooms combined were nearly the size of Raveyne's family's home. To him, the room at the top of the tower was palatial.

_:I suppose- our kind are insular. Most don't venture outside the kingdom. There is no reason to.:_

_:Are you familiar with the Hawkbrothers? The people of the Pelagirs?: _Most Heralds had scarcely heard of the secretive guardians of the Pelagirs, much less met with them. Savil's relationship with them was truly a rare one. _But they may know of- his kind._

The boy shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck, scanning the room. :_We do not call it such, but yes. At least, I am familiar now- with the land between your country and mine. Hawkbrothers, I do not know. We did not meet anyone on our journey back.:_ He worried the tip of his thumb between his teeth, studying her features. :_These- Gifts- Cheron said I have- are they common, for humans to have?:_

Savil shook her head, tucking a stray lock back into her neat bun. _:No, most of those that do have them end up here. And as you can see, we're hardly full to capacity. Half the time we rattle around like beans in the bottom of a tin. Are your people commonly- gifted?:_

Rae answered with a shrug, slowly relaxing his guard a little, though he still eyed the woman cautiously. _:It's not so unusual. To speak like this, a handful can. Farther south, where the weather is always like summer, there are people who all communicate this way. They are not Arcanic, but something else. Like us, but unlike us. Smaller. Older. Just- like humans are smaller. Some can generate fire, or manipulate the earth, or water. But- I have never known anyone else- who could Feel what others do, the way I do.: _

_:Another people? You're hardly a giant yourself, you know.:_ She smiled gently, her mental tone lightening a little.

_:I'm short. For- my people. Most men are- a palm's length taller. At least. Though, for a human, I'm very tall. Yes. Very far to the south, the farthest I've been. They live very close to the land. Very- gently.:_

_They do sound like Hawkbrothers, although he seems to think they're not human. Nor- Arcanic, or whatever his people call themselves. :Do you read, write?:_

He nodded, then sighed, melting into the cushioned chair. His fingers scraped at an imaginary speck on the plush material. _:Not that it does much good. Reading another- language, another set of letters. I can read Draconian, and Arcanic.:_

Savil exhaled a sigh of relief, sinking back into the chair. It was more than she'd hoped for, by the Gods, it was more than some of the Border holding farmhands had. If he could read, he could write, and that would make it that much easier to learn a new language. He'd just have to get used to speaking it. _:Good! Good, I'm so glad. Half the new Trainees we get in have the literary sense of a dirt clod. We'll get you acquainted with the library so that you can get some books with simple vocabulary to start studying as soon as possible. Ilia, I'm sure, will help where she can. And once we get you settled with a mentor, you can practice with them, and we'll get you placed in classes, in history, deportment, and- training for your Gift. Do you- have any experience with combat, or weaponry? We could start you with that right away.:_

_That's something that should be nearly universal. _

_:Yes. With bow, and arrow. I can use a sword, and daggers as well. Those I can do. I know how to fight. It's something- common to my people.: ___

Savil let herself relax a little, formulating a plan. First she would place the boy in some basic arms training. The physical nature of the work might also let him interact with some other Trainees, without having to speak much. Second, a mentor familiar with empathy, maybe Betula, or Lancir, to help him get a handle on his Gift, and work with him on language. She could sense for herself, the strength of his Gift, even through Ilia's shields, it took her strengthening her own shields not to end up a bundle of nerves herself. Third, enrolling in courses to get him caught up to the rest of the Trainees as soon as possible. If he was able to endear himself to a few of the other students in weapon work, the more charitable heraldic trainees might also help with the language barrier.

_I think this will be acceptable. At the very least, Ilia's keeping a handle on things. It's just as well they had a long ride back, their bond must be strong for her to be able to keep a shield on him. _


	4. Chapter 4: I have two rooms!

Raveyne had been happy to be released by Cheron. Although Ilia had said he would be safe at the Collegium, his experience was that it was better to be safe than sorry. And that the best way to be safe, was to be as far from other people as possible. He was unsurprised when Cheron deposited him at the least populated section of the castle. Unsurprised, and a little relieved. Judging from the rest of the castle, the room was fairly standard. To him, it was luxurious.

_Ilia- I have __**two**__ rooms! _He smiled to himself, standing in the middle of them with one foot in his bedroom, and one in the small sitting room that opened onto the hallway. The laughter in his head from her direction was a leaf of fresh mint, bright and refreshing. The sitting area came furnished with two upholstered chairs and matching footstools, with a small table and wooden chair to serve as a desk in the corner by the window, where it would get the most light. Raveyne poked his head out the window, looking down at the cobbled courtyard below, then up to see if it would be possible to climb onto the roof from his window. Not that it would be necessary, but it never hurt to be aware of all possible exits.

The bedroom was similarly styled, plain, but adequate for study and comfortable. The bed topped with a padded mattress, and fresh linens, and a chest at the foot of the bed for clothing. A short bookshelf lined one wall, and a wardrobe next to a rack for weapons or instruments sat against the other. In the bedroom, dark heavy curtains shielded the window from bright morning light. Certainly this far up, curious passers-by weren't going to be a concern. Raveyne crawled across the bed, flopping onto his stomach, before rolling over to stare at the ceiling. When he lifted a hand, the ceiling was still easily another ten feet past his fingertips. He rummaged around the room a little, opening the wardrobe doors and the chest to see if anything interesting had been left behind. It seemed he was the first tenant of the room in a while, although there was no dust present, the air was a little stale behind closed doors. He left the wardrobe and chest open to air a little before unpacking his belongings. He took only a few minutes to put away a change of clothes, a bow and quiver, a set of daggers, and a sword, which had been a gift from Roxim, given when he notified her that he was leaving with Ilia and Cheron and Aravel.

Cheron hadn't quite known what to make of Roxim, when they met Raveyne had Sensed that Cheron was prepared to either attack or defend himself. Polite conversation, it seemed, hadn't occurred to him. Thankfully, Roxim was accustomed to those sorts of responses from strangers. Dragons usually weren't terribly welcome visitors, nor did they generally welcome visitors of any kind. She tolerated Raveyne because he was an excellent egg-sitter and playmate for her hatchlings. He was also able to pick his way through her hoard to find specific wanted items much more easily than she herself could, especially once she and the hoard had grown too big to fit in her original front cave, and had to move to one of the larger back rooms, deeper into the mountain. He enjoyed the respite from constant emotional feedback that her reptilian nature afforded. She admitted she grieved to let Raveyne go, but that if he could find a home with those- if not exactly like him, at least similar in stature and constitution to himself- he might be happier than living alone in a hatchling-cave, with only books to keep him company.

Raveyne had explained that Cheron was in no danger from Roxim, especially while the two of them were together, but it hadn't eased his mind quite as the boy had hoped. Seeing Cheron thrum with nervous energy he was relieved to have the protections of Ilia's barrier around him, protecting him from the tension that made Cheron's aura shimmer wildly.

Back in Reume, what Cheron had referred to as "the land beyond the Pelagirs" Raveyne would have been approaching adulthood. His family worked a small farm near one of the border holdings, and most youth farther from the cities were encouraged to grow up sooner, rather than later, that they might be more useful. By the calendar, he was roughly thirty-five, although he appeared to be about the same age as most of the trainees at the Collegium. One of the quirks of humans he remembered from Roxim's books and stories was that they aged curiously quickly, at a highly accelerated rate, and kept getting older and older. Rather like fruit left out in the sun, they seemed to ripen very quickly, and then deteriorate just as quickly until they were all dried up and wrinkled. It didn't seem very sensible to him, but he supposed they couldn't help it. To his view, the poor creatures barely had time to learn how to be one age, before they were pushed by biology into something else.

Savil, for example, looked older than anyone else Raveyne had ever encountered, although for a human she really wasn't that advanced. Everyone else, from his country, finished aging once they reached maturity, and then stopped. It made sense to him, to not age in excess of what was necessary, and he was surprised to see that humans didn't seem to live that way. Instead, they spent their whole lives running around like squirrels warding off death and famine, and hardship, to end up withering up and dying anyway.

At least they were quiet.

He found Savil's concern, and irritation at having a new chore to look after fairly easy to ignore with a little if Ilia's help. He was used to his own kind, who broadcast their feelings at full volume most of the time, even if they didn't show them at the surface. Instead, their feelings, to those with a Gift for Empathy, wrapped around their auras like rather gaudy wardrobes of brilliant and often clashing silks, velvets, metal, wool, and linen; some with more ornamentation and flare than others, often representing several different feelings at once. Stimulating, and nearly impossible to ignore, and more than one or two people in a room could rapidly become overwhelming. By comparison, to his Sense, being surrounded by humans was rather like being surrounded by people in muted earth tones, and simple cotton raiments. Certainly piling them all one on top of each other would multiply the Sense of them, but one at a time they were imminently tolerable.

It seemed Ilia had been right; this would be a good place. It was definitely manageable and much more comfortable than Roxim's cave, although she had tried her best to be accommodating; it was difficult when she could no longer actually fit down that section of her set of caves. In a way, Savil sort of reminded her of Roxim. Spiky, and fearsome on the outside, but with a soft tender inside and no tolerance for nonsense.


	5. Chapter 5: Meet Vanyel

"Raveyne, until you can- practice some, I think we should have you start with basic reading and writing, and training with the Armsmaster. Swordwork at least, won't require too much translation." Savil spoke over her shoulder as she strode down to the salle, and then cursed colorfully, realizing that he had no clue what she was saying. _:Sorry Lad, we generally make it a practice to stay out of each other's heads unless we've asked permission. I keep forgetting you don't understand me. First is weaponwork, and then I'll show you to the library so that you can study-:_

:_That's fine. I'll do my best to catch up-:_ He chewed on the tip of his thumb, taking in his surroundings. This time of day, the Collegium was bustling with activity, bardic students in maroon on their way to classes in deportment and composition. Healing students in dark greens, carrying books of anatomy and physiology, and the Heraldic students, in grey uniforms, all hurried across the square to get to their classes. Raveyne had been summoned by Savil herself, dressing in the grey uniform of a Heraldic trainee, adding a hooded cloak over it that shielded his ears. Savil led Raveyne to a long building with skylights set into the ceiling. During the winter months, students could practice in the warm and dry, without having to light the whole place, and during the summer rains, the doors at either end provided a welcome breeze. With the air just turning cool in the evenings, the salle would soon fill up quickly in the afternoons, but at the moment there was just one other student present.

"Ah, nephew-" Savil nodded to the other boy stretching along the wall. Unlike the other students, he was dressed in plain clothes, no uniform. Raveyne took a moment, standing behind Savil, looking over her shoulder to watch the boy. Long dark hair, silver eyes and the face of an angel, masculine, but delicately formed. Unlike the other students, he wore all black, setting off his pale complexion, except for the light flush that tinged his cheeks. Raveyne slowly tipped his head to the side, and ran his tongue over his lower lip, his gaze shifting from mild curiosity and interest at his surroundings to something more- predatory, his eyes darkening to a deep blue and dilating, like a hawk circling a mouse from the sky. Savil looked over her shoulder and Raveyne's face cleared, blinking back at her curiously again, his brows lifting. "Vanyel, this is Raveyne." Simultaneously, she introduced Vanyel to Raveyne mentally as well, explaining that he was her nephew, and here in exile, rather than as a trainee. _:And technically, as a Heraldic Trainee, you outrank him. He's been incredibly arrogant and well- insufferable, to everyone except for his little band of admirers. I've told him to mind himself around Trainees especially, and I want you to let me know if he doesn't behave himself.:_ Savil realized that it was better to keep strangers out of the loop concerning Vanyel and Tylendel's relationship. It was unlikely that Raveyne would say anything to, well, anyone, but she didn't want to risk getting Vanyel jerked home just when he'd barely begun to open up. And with half the Collegium holding a secret- or not so secret prejudice against their kind of relationship, Savil felt it better to not risk Raveyne holding a similar prejudice.

Raveyne nodded once, looking back at Vanyel when Savil waved him over. "Raveyne is from- outside of Valdemar. There are still some language barriers there, but you've been doing well working with Kayla, enough to practice some basics."

Vanyel did his best not to sulk. He had hoped to skip out of training this afternoon, to disappear to he and Tylendel's grove for a while, where they could be alone. Instead he was going to have to babysit a stranger.

"Hello-" He bowed politely, nonetheless. Even though Savil had warmed toward him considerably, she still had a reputation as a stern taskmaster to uphold. It was partially that reputation that had led Withen to send him to her care in the first place. He looked back at Savil as she excused herself and tightened the knot around his hair, keeping it pulled back from his face. "So-" _How am I supposed to work with someone who doesn't even speak my language? Gods, I wish Tylendel were here, he at least could MindSpeak with him and get the point across that I don't want to be bothered._ Tylendel also wouldn't have to crane his neck nearly as much to look up at the intruder either. As it was, Vanyel scarcely came to his shoulder. Tylendel, though tall and lanky for seventeen, still might have come up a few thumb-widths short. He took a step to the side as the taller boy brushed past him, pulling the cloak off, hanging it by the door. Vanyel's lips parted slightly, his brows knitting. "Your ears-" he murmured, reaching forward to touch one of the delicate points.

Lightning quick, his wrist was caught, and he was spun around with his back pressed flat to the wall of the salle. The motion left him short of breath with his head spinning, blinking back at- Raveyne. "Sorry!" He tugged at the grip pressing his arm against the wall, squirming, watching the other's face. Raveyne pursed his lips in a faint smile, arching one dark eyebrow before shaking his head slightly. Slowly he released Vanyel's wrist, one finger at a time before turning around to pick up a sword from the wall, checking the balance of it."Lord and Lady-" Vanyel exhaled, rubbing his wrist. It wasn't actually sore, but the shock of being so quickly and thoroughly dispatched had him all thrown off balance. He shook his hand out, fighting for control, when he really just wanted to pick up a sword and clobber the oaf for making him look bad.

When he looked back at the other boy he was standing, sword in the hand, his eyebrows lifted placidly. Vanyel's nostrils flared and he swept past him to pick up his light jerkin, sword and shield. "All right-" He nodded, grateful at least, that the expectation of conversation was removed. Some of the trainees liked to chat while they sparred, and he found it distracting. He took a moment to analyze his opponent. Likely, the taller would rush at him, attempting to bludgeon him, much the way that some of the other hack and slashers did. The way Jervis had attempted to time and time again until he broke Vanyel's arm. His lips pursed into a thin line and he rested lightly back on his heels, prepared to dance away lightly when he was rushed.

Instead, he found himself circled, and turned to the left to keep his opponent in front of him. _I could have sworn a moment ago his eyes were green-_ He met the other's dark blue eyes, he was getting dizzy trying to keep him in front, and decided to risk jabbing forward. Rather than bashing back at him with the sword, Raveyne stepped forward, the hilt of his sword catching Vanyel's blade, turning it neatly from his hand, sending it to the floor with a metallic clang. _Dammit! _"Okay, I want to try that again-" Vanyel ducked away, and stooped to pick up the sword. For a brief moment while his back was turned, Raveyne savored the view as he bent to retrieve his weapon. He smirked, running his thumb across his lower lip.

He waited for Vanyel to resettle himself, noting the boy's unease at being disarmed. Uncertainty had replaced the quiet arrogance and irritation that filled him before, and it made his movements equally hesitant. Raveyne shook his head, and planted his feet, putting one hand on Vanyel's shoulder, indicating for him to circle, as he had just moments before. Instinctively, Vanyel moved toward his right, his dominant side, and Raveyne shook his head, patting the flat of his hip to instead circle toward his, and Raveyne's, weaker left. Vanyel twitched away from the flat of the pot metal practice blade when Raveyne hit him with it. Well, hit was a little bit an exaggeration, but Vanyel still found it vexing to be herded like an unruly colt with a staff. He followed the direction however, and moved neatly to the side when Raveyne thrust forward as Vanyel had done. He didn't disarm him, but he did stay out of the way of the blade. His face warmed when he felt the flat of the blade against his backside as he turned away from the stroke.

"Hey!" He turned around, his eyes shining hotly, brushing a stray lock from his damp forehead. Raveyne's lower lip poked out and his eyebrows lifted in an expression of pseudo innocence. Vanyel's delicate features clenched into a frown, coming back at Raveyne harder, his shield clashing against the blade, striking with his own sword. Lightly, Raveyne pulled his sword back, holding it close to his body to turn away from Vanyel's blow, tapping his backside with the blade again teasingly. This time he lifted one finger, wagging it at Vanyel, and was acutely aware of the rush of anger that flooded the other boy.

"Gods damn you!" This time he forgot about training, and rushed ahead, sweeping with the practice blade as if it were a real weapon, clashing it against Raveyne's as he brought it up. His anger gave him an intensity that made his silver eyes flash, and enough of an adrenaline rush to force his opponent back a few steps. Raveyne met his blade and used his greater strength to push Vanyel back to their starting position before letting Vanyel advance again, following a rhythm in his head, creating a dance between the two as Raveyne pushed him back and the other boy fought for control.

Each time Vanyel was able to force him back a few steps, he found himself placed neatly back in the center. Sweat streaked the sides of his face and pasted dark strands that had escaped the leather tie to his cheeks. The old break in his arm was beginning to ache, but he stubbornly refused to yield. His strokes became more haphazard as he tired, dashing forward clumsily and swiping more hastily with his sword, Raveyne noted. When Vanyel thought he might have to yield to save his arm, Raveyne lowered his sword as Vanyel advanced, letting him back him to the wall, simply blocking his blows rather than countering. The shorter boy pressed the flat of his sword against Raveyne's chest, finally cornering him. Vanyel's chest rose and fell rapidly, he felt as though he'd spent the afternoon doing sprints rather than sparring. It seemed that once they engaged, Raveyne never stopped moving, forcing him to chase after him. "Damn you- stand still for once!" Although the exact phrasing of his words was lost on Raveyne, the sense was plain enough to Feel and Raveyne half smiled, shrugging. He lifted one finger, tracing it down Vanyel's sweat-damp forehead and nose, finishing with a tap on his lips and a smirk of his own before slipping to the side, patting Vanyel's backside with his sword before putting it back on the rack near the wall.

Vanyel palmed at his face where Raveyne touched him, brushing away the tingling sensation, waving his hand. He sputtered, whirling around feeling the flat of the blade against his rear end, "Stop that! Stop- stop- stop teasing me!" He shouted at the other boy, "And I don't give a damn if you can't understand me, you know bloody well what you were doing!" He shouted to his back, however, as Raveyne pulled the cloak over his head again. _Why is everyone so cruel to me? All I was doing was what Savil wanted, and he- he's just toying with me!_ He threw down his practice blade, picking up his on cloak. When he first arrived at Haven, he had his ice-fantasy to protect him. Now, since finding Tylendel, he had to work to summon the ice to protect him, and sometimes even that wasn't effective. He sprinted back toward the castle, cutting through the garden to his room, and threw himself on the bed next to where Tylendel was studying, hiding his face in his arms.

"Ashke- what's the matter?" Concern filled Tylendel's voice as he stroked Vanyel's damp hair back from his face. He placed his book on the bedside table, giving his full attention to his obviously distraught lover.

"I hate him! I don't even know him and I hate him!" He muttered angrily against his pillow before rolling over, "Some- awful troll that Savil told me to be nice to. He just- kept toying with me- he didn't even say anything but- it was _the way_ he was looking at me. Like- I'm an idiot, or- just- teasing me-" He blubbered and knotted his fingers in Tylendel's tunic, hiding his face against 'Lendel's comforting shoulder.

"Ashke- who? Slow down- what exactly happened?" He sat up straighter, ready to head to- wherever the villain was. Ruse be damned, Vanyel was obviously upset about something.

Vanyel snuffled, looking back up at Tylendel tearfully. He scrubbed his face with his hands, taking a slow breath. "Some- new Trainee that my aunt brought to the salle while I was working there. She told me to work with him, and- he's a good fighter. But, I felt like he was just toying with me. If I rushed him and missed, he'd sort of- pat me with the flat of his sword. And-" Vanyel paused. He realized that he sounded like a fool for getting so upset over an informal sparring session. "It- wasn't so much what he was doing. He just- kept smirking the whole time. It felt like- he was making fun of me, the way that my brothers and the foster cousins would." He sighed, sinking against the comforting warmth of Tylendel's body, "He doesn't even speak Valdemaran, I don't know if he even knows what was going on."

"Shh, there love-" Tylendel wrapped his arms around Vanyel's shoulders, hugging him gently. "I'm sure it was a misunderstanding of some kind. I know Savil, and I know she wouldn't unleash anyone upon you to hurt you."

"I know. I just- didn't like it." He sulked a little, resting his head against Tylendel's blonde curls.

"Well- maybe I can find some way to distract you-" He grinned, nuzzling at the side of Vanyel's neck until the boy smiled and exhaled happily.


	6. Chapter 6: Isn't it Obvious?

_Ohhh I could get used to this…_ Raveyne sank into the gloriously hot water, slowly relaxing. His head tipped back, shaggy hair falling back from his face with his lips parted in a blissful smile. He was more sore than he had expected to be, both from the long ride back with Cheron, and tousling with Vanyel in the salle. He was skilled enough to make playing with Vanyel look like just that, but as usual, appearances weren't everything. Being constantly on guard, pacing around an opponent was always a strain, and Vanyel had gotten a few good blows of his own that left light bruises on his torso. He absentmindedly rubbed at the sore muscles, letting the hot water soothe the aches and pains that had settled in to his injured places.

"Mmmmmnnhhh…" he melted into the hot water, his fingers batting for one of the books he brought back from the library. He had every intention of studying, and practicing vocabulary, but for the moment… he felt too good to think about anything but the soothing water.

_:You're also allowed to relax, Chosen. There's plenty of time to study.: _ The voice in his head was gentle, calming and musical. It did little to encourage him to focus on studies. He suspected that was her intention.

_:Mmmn, too relaxed to think about relaxing…: _He smirked a little to himself, resting his long legs on the side of the tub. He rubbed absently at a knot where Vanyel had caught his thigh just below the hip. One eye flickered open to see how bad the damage was, glad to see that there was only a slight bruise; which should fade fairly soon. After a few more long moments of absorbing warmth from the water, he scrubbed sweat and dust from his skin, dipping under the water to rinse his hair, palming it back wet from his face.

He lifted his head, meeting a pair of silver eyes as Vanyel opened the door to the baths and froze in his tracks.

"You!" Vanyel's eyes narrowed a little, holding his towel to his chest, pulling his robe more tightly around him. "What are you doing here?" _You're the last person I want to see-_ Really what Vanyel wanted was to soak in the tub and daydream about he an Tylendel's afternoon together. Unfortunately, 'Lendel's distraction session had been somewhat truncated by a lesson with Vanyel's aunt, and she insisted that he not miss any more of them. At least, that he not miss any more as a result of his involvement with Vanyel. _He only missed two classes, I don't see what the big deal is-_ Vanyel crossed his arms tightly across his chest, resisting the urge to stomp his feet and shout at the intruder until he left. _Oh Hell's bells, I forgot you don't even understand me._

Raveyne smirked, ducking his head slightly. Vanyel's indignation only served to make his eyes glitter. Even when cross, he remained as beautiful as before, and Raveyne found his ire adorable. He put a finger to his ear, tipping it forward questioningly, pursing his lips playfully.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Vanyel enunciated slowly, exaggerating his facial expression. Raveyne's lower lip poked out questioningly, gesturing to the tub. What he was doing, he felt, was quite obvious. He was bathing, Vanyel was yelling. _What more explanation is needed?_ He Reached tentatively for Ilia's presence in his head, _:See, I really don't think I'm going to need to learn the language, if people simply keep asking questions to which the answers are as plain as the nose on my face.:_

Ilia answered him with a musical laugh in his head, accompanied by a question mark. _:Vanyel, who I sparred with earlier. Is upset? He feels I am intruding.:_ He shrugged, pushing out of the tub, gathering up a towel to dry off. His skin was a little flushed from the hot water, and for a moment Vanyel forgot his anger, his eyes widening. Head to toe his skin was a gold caramel color, except for a slight paler line at his hips. Across his back and arms were faint lines, old scars that had healed over, leaving stripes. His body was leanly muscled, and just as graceful climbing out of the bath as he was with a sword in his hand . Although Raveyne didn't turn his attention to Vanyel, he could Feel his attention shift a little, not quite as angry as he was a moment ago, his aura of his feelings slightly tinged with notes of lust. It was a Feeling he was familiar with, although he hadn't necessarily expected Vanyel to be interested. Raveyne quirked an eyebrow when his back was turned, taking his time wrapping his towel around his waist. He kept his movements similarly languid as he gathered up his books and drained the tub.

He felt Vanyel's eyes on him, following him as he crossed the room to stand in front of him. Their eyes met and Raveyne tucked his books against his hip while Vanyel lifted his chin, determined to not be thrown off balance again. In his mind's eye he saw Raveyne stepping dripping from the tub, and forced the image away.

"You're in my way." Vanyel set his jaw, scowling up at the other boy, putting a hand against his damp chest to push him out of the way. Raveyne obliged, taking a few steps back, but put his hand against Vanyel's, holding his palm to his chest, lifting his eyebrows. "Stop that!" He wrenched his hand free, his teeth gritted in real irritation, wiping the memory of Raveyne's skin from his hand on his robe. "Just- stop!" _I- I have someone! Blast! I can't even tell you that. And even if I did you wouldn't bloody understand! Uuugh I hate you!_

The corners of Raveyne's mouth pulled up playfully and he lifted his free hand, drawing a line down Vanyel's forehead and nose slowly, as he had before in the salle, finishing with his finger resting on Vanyel's full, and pouting, lower lip. And again, Vanyel swatted his hand away. "Quit it!" The other boy's eyebrows lifted briefly and he brushed past Vanyel to make his way back to his room at the opposite end of the castle.

_I hate him! Why does he keep- touching me? Does he know? About Tylendel and me? He can't, can he? No one knows except for Savil, and her Trainees and they wouldn't have told. And no one else knows I'm- shaych._ Vanyel's nostrils flared as he stripped off his robe, filling a tub with fresh hot water, scrubbing angrily at his hair. _He makes me so angry! He probably DOES speak Valdemaran, and is just pretending not to, to just- mess with people._ He tugged at his hair, splashing his face with water. _I wish he would just go back to whatever rock he crawled out from under. _


	7. Chapter 7: Dreaming of ice

_No, Gods no- _

_Vanyel felt the ice forming around him, spreading through the bones of his feet, creeping up his legs. He thought Tylendel had banished the dreams forever. The snow blew around him, chilling his nose and the tips of his ears, until he could no longer feel his extremities. He scarcely had time to register tears streaking his cheeks before they froze. _

_No-_

_He reached forward blindly, stumbling on the slick ice, falling to his knees. He looked down at his hands, watched them cut to ribbons, and again the blood that ran from them started out red, and slowly turned as blue and cold as the growing ice around him. _

_He opened his mouth to cry out, and found himself unable to. The ice had reached his lungs, making it impossible to speak, halting his breath in his chest. _

In his sleep, he reached for Tylendel, unconsciously seeking his comfort to banish the nightmare as he had before. His hand groped at the empty half of the bed, and his fingers tensed on the sheet, pulling it loose from the mattress. He stirred, feeling the ice in his dream surround his heart, cutting him off from all else in the world. Across the room, Tylendel sat absorbed in his handwritten copies of Savil's spells, muttering to himself, reciting the words over and over. Although he'd memorized them in a few days, he often sat, repeating the words by candlelight. Over the weeks as he healed from the backlash of Staven's death, Tylendel's quest for revenge consumed his thoughts. The spells he had copied became his mantra, his meditation, the focus of all his waking thoughts. He found it difficult even to relate to Vanyel once the thought of what was to come consumed him upon waking.

Although Vanyel swore to help him, with everything he had, he knew that to accomplish his task it would mean hurting him. To force open channels that had only barely begun to form was always painful, and to have enough energy to build the gate and complete the summon, he would need everything Vanyel had to offer.

"Shh-" His brow tensed slightly when he heard Vanyel mutter in his sleep, distracting him from his meditation; though his eyes remained hazy and unfocused, and his repetition neither slowed nor halted. On the bed, Vanyel rolled over, curling into a tight ball as if trying to conserve his body heat.

_He lay with his cheek against the smooth frozen glacier under him, tears pooling and freezing his hair. His surroundings were growing dark, he felt as if the sun itself were going out, plunging him into an ocean of darkness. _

_Please- no-_

_His vision blurred by tears, he saw and Felt a slight thread of warmth, golden and glowing the darkness, winding through his thoughts. He lifted one chilled hand, reaching for the source of warmth, faint music reaching his ears. Like nothing he had heard at the Bardic Collegium, some kind of wind instrument, but without the metallic undertones of the Bardic flutes. As the thread reached him, he felt, rather than saw, his fingers glow, feeling returning to his frigid limbs. Warmth and light surrounded him, freeing the chill from around his heart, lighting the way out of the ice, a passage he had never noticed before. _

_When he could see, he slowly made his way toward the break in the walls of ice, toward a golden glow that filled the passage beyond, tipping his face up until the light warmed and dried away the traces of his frozen tears. _


	8. Chapter 8: Songbird

Raveyne was glad for the practice with Shielding he had learned from Lancir in recent weeks. One of the Herald Savil's Trainees had become increasingly unstable, wavering between sanity and increasingly consuming levels of hatred, hurt and anger. Without the Shields, his pain would have driven Raveyne mad, gnawing at his thoughts constantly. It was nearly as bad as being around Arcanic back at home had been.

He hadn't deemed it necessary to inform Lancir that he could Read others whether he was shielded or not, and generally regardless of whether they were shielded or not. It wasn't intentional, but even sitting in the same room, Raveyne was so accustomed to Reading someone else's body language, their tone of voice, and Feeling as a whole that it was second nature to him. He wasn't certain that it was something he _could_ block fully, even with training. Lancir told him he'd never seen a gift for Empathy quite like his, finding it coupled with the closely related Bardic Gift. Quickly, Lancir had enrolled him in courses at the Bardic Collegium as well, that he might develop and sooner learn to control both aspects of his Gifts.

_I could have told him that._ He sighed to himself, taking a handcrafted wooden flute from the chest at the foot of his bed, blowing a few notes on it. He preferred his own instrument to the sideways metal flutes they taught on at the Bardic Collegium, even if it was more difficult to match the sheet music they gave him to study. Music always did help him think, and before arriving at Haven, it was the only thing that could drown out the Feelings of others.

He used it now to quiet the feelings of distress and upset that sometimes cropped up in the wee hours of the morning, as other sleeping Trainees faded in and out of troubling dreams. The first few weeks their unconscious turmoil had woken him, confounding him when it seemed no one was around, but he was still Feeling impulses from all around. In their sleep it seemed, the humans true feelings, the brightest and most pure forms of them found release that was muted during the day. Pleasure became ecstasy, anxiety became terror, unhappiness became deep sorrow.

_And it all makes it bloody impossible to sleep through._

His solution was to expend a little energy upon waking to Project a little, a sense of calm and peace that would simply calm the distressed dreamer and make it possible for him to sleep through them again.

_:Awake again my little Songbird?:_ Ilia's sleepy Voice nudged at him gently.

_:I don't understand how they can be numb from the neck up all day, and as soon as they're out for the night, all hell breaks loose in their minds. No wonder they burn out so quickly, they spend a third of their time blazing like the sun inside their heads, and then wonder why they wake up groggy? Seems counterintuitive to a period of rest.:_

_:Maybe. Companions don't sleep as they do. Neither do you, Chosen. You do most of your feeling during the day, and spend your nights packing away the day and sorting your memories into their appropriate places.: _

_:Because that makes sense. Why ruin my rest with a lot of made up stories, when I can make up stories during the day?:_

Ilia's answer came in the form of a sleepy chuckle, painting his thoughts leaf green for a moment. Before dozing off again as he started playing. Raveyne got the feeling she rather enjoyed his evening serenades; they certainly never failed to send her back into peaceful slumber.


	9. Chapter 9: An unusual Gift

"Savil, good to see you. Thank you for coming-" Lancir smiled back at her, smoothing his tunic a little. The eyes that met hers were warm, and even when she wasn't strained to the breaking point she found his presence soothing. That was, she supposed, the point of his presence at the Collegium, to offer respite from the emotional and psychological tolls all Heralds had to pay.

"Hello, Savil." Next to Lancir stood Raveyne, dressed similarly, in shades of grey rather than Whites. The boy had a similar effect when Savil looked into his eyes. Now that she had grown accustomed to it, the subtle shifts of blue, green, sometimes violet and gold, in his eyes were rather soothing, like staring deep into the flame of a candle.

"Hello Raveyne. Of course, Lancir, what is it that you wanted to show me? Is everything all right?" To Raveyne's Sight, her aura shifted slightly, her customary steely-silver businesslike aura threading with lighter threads of pinkish uncertainty.

"Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to get confirmation from- someone else, and you have more experience than half the Heralds in the Collegium at the moment. I'd like you to make certain you're shielded, as heavily as possible." He lifted his hands when her brow knotted, reading her body language as easily as Raveyne read her aura. "Nothing harmful, but I'm finding that because- of his rather unique nature, that Raveyne's Gift is- somewhat different than I had originally thought." He nodded to Raveyne as well, taking a step back to form a triangle with each of them as a point; not so coincidentally matching one of the patterns inscribed on the floor that the Mages often used as a focus point for training.

Lancir elected to use the work room most closely tied to Savil's own shields. Although he didn't anticipate anything going wrong, if something did, Savil would still remain protected by the shields worked into the very walls of the room. All three of their voices were muffled slightly by the heavy protections on the room, producing not an echo, despite the stone walls that elsewhere would have bounced the sound around madly.

"Cheron- said he has the Empathic gift- is- that not it?" Her brow tensed slightly, looking back at Raveyne, taking her own Reading of him, recognizing Empathy and the Bardic gift. "I don't- see anything else, Lancir."

He rewarded her by lifting a finger, nodding to Raveyne, "Keep Watching, Savil." She sighed slightly, splitting her focus between her own shields and her tap on Raveyne's mental channels. In a way, it was something of a relief to be working like this again. With Tylendel so ill, she'd scarcely had the time to devote to Mardic and Donni that she wished, and as their skill increased, it was seldom enough of a distraction to keep her thoughts off the inevitable revelation of Tylendel and Vanyel's relationship. It was only a matter of time before word reached Withen, and he insisted that the boy be sent home.

Raveyne removed a wooden instrument from a case over his shoulder, and played a few notes. The instrument gave out a slightly eerie tone, melancholy and lonely sounding; unlike anything Savil had heard before. The only thing that came close were some of the Hawkbrothers' instruments, but those were magic in nature. A quick scan told her that this was simply an instrument, probably carved by the player himself over a long winter. If they had them in his country. Looking a little deeper, she saw both channels in his mind open, Bardic and Empathic gifts blending seamlessly as he played.

_It's like watching Mardic and Donni use their Gifts together, only- within one mind. Gods, if I had the time to work with them properly, instead of chasing after Tylendel like an old nagging hen-_ A sudden upswelling of guilt made her eyes sting with tears, putting a lump in her throat. _If I were better- more diplomatic, less of a horrible old harridan, Tylendel might have been able to prepare for Staven's death better. It wouldn't be affecting him so. And Vanyel- the boy's hardly the insufferable brat he was when he got here, and I've hardly said two words to him. He deserves better than that, Herald or no- we're supposed to be _family. _Tylendel is right, I cut all ties with my own kin to become a Herald, I _don't _know what it's like to still have family that I care for- _ She closed her eyes, rubbing a hand across her forehead, tears streaking her cheeks. Externally, Lancir checked that her shields were still up at full strength, watching his friend's shoulders curl a little, her posture stooping with the weight of her own guilt.

_And because we couldn't keep things under wraps, Withen is going to drag the boy home, and send him off to a Cloister to be "re-educated," or worse._ She shook her head, stumbling a little, dropping to her knees, covering her face with one hand, tears filling her cupped palm.

Raveyne's brows knotted together with concern, although he didn't halt his playing. He looked to Lancir for guidance. Although Lancir hadn't been aware of what Raveyne would find upon reading Savil, her underlying feelings of guilt were something the boy had noticed several times, especially in conjunction with the disruption from her Trainee. At Lancir's nod, he changed tunes slightly, picking up the pace, lightening the mood gently. He closed his eyes again, and turned his focus outward again, gently pulling the focus from the woman's overwhelming guilt and self-uncertainty, instead plucking a little at the strings that fed her internal focus. Her pride in all the work she had done as a Herald, her love for students past and present, many of whom had gone on to accomplish great things, thanks to the skill and attention of their teacher. He finished the song with a few lightly trilled notes and opened his eyes, leaning over to offer a hand to Savil.

"I- sorry. Lancir said- you—it is not- hurt—" Savil blinked rapidly, clearing her vision once she was standing. Some of the places that had been gnawing at the back of her mind suddenly felt strangely distant, and more tolerable than when she stepped into the room. She took a moment to put herself together again, physically and mentally, clearing her throat.

"No, I'm all right."

"Savil- _your shields were up the whole time._ I checked them myself, several times." Lancir nodded back at her, lacing his fingers together. "I don't know- exactly what it is, but he's able to- amplify what a person already feels, even through their shields. It wasn't a Projection-"

"You're damn right it wasn't!" She shook her head, exhaling hard. There had been none of the- foreign sensation that came with an Empath projecting their feelings. What she felt, was her own, as if with a spotlight focused on it, drowning out anything else. "I'm sorry, I don't think I was quite- prepared for that."

Raveyne half smiled, and rubbed at the back of his neck, shuffling uncomfortably for a moment. "Now- I know- not Project, I would not." He chewed his lower lip and turned his attention to putting away the instrument safely back in its case. "Your own Feel, to the knees. I Project—" He gestured downward with his palm, looking back at her, "Take to the ground-"

Savil lifted her hands, lest he feel it necessary to demonstrate immediately. "I think- I would need to prepare for that even more than this- little experiment."

"I don't blame you." Lancir nodded, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Easy sister. You did choose rightly, pairing us together. I wasn't wholly prepared for what he can do either, but I'm more familiar than most with the kind of power the things we keep locked inside us have." Lancir smiled reassuringly back at Raveyne, "It's all right. You didn't do anything more than I asked,

"Savil, I think that his talents could be extremely useful, here at the Collegium. You Felt yourself, what he did, toward the end."

"Yes-" Her mind ran backward, remembering the crushing, overwhelming guilt that she had been trying so hard to keep at bay; and she remembered it being gently soothed and replaced with more of her own feelings of competency and strength. While there were still places in her heart that ached, they no longer made her doubt her abilities or her value as a Herald and a teacher any longer. "To be honest, Raveyne, I feel more at peace now- than I have in a moon. Thank you."

The boy shrugged, but his smile broadened slightly nonetheless, "Welcome. It was there. I See-" he made a spherical motion with his hands, "Whole uhm- all Feeling. You- not see all-ways, it all-ways, is there. I- make- more big." His eyes flickered slightly, settling on pale sky blue, which Savil found as reassuring as Lancir's warm brown.


	10. Chapter 10: Why?

"Okay, show me again-" Vanyel's face was set into a mask of concentration as he lifted his sword again, facing off against Raveyne. As vexing as he found the other boy sometimes, he also had an easy grace in the salle that Vanyel sought to emulate. If nothing else, he was a welcome distraction from the concern he felt over Tylendel's growing obsession.

"Feet." Raveyne pointed with the tip of his sword to Vanyel's foot placement, tapping his rear heel to move it backward and to the side a little, giving his knee more room to move rather than locking it in place. He enjoyed working with Vanyel. Aside from drastically improving the scenery with his beauty, there were aspects of his person that felt familiar to Raveyne. Unlike most of the humans at the Collegium, Vanyel's feelings- usually at the forefront of his outbursts- burned almost as hotly as those of his own people. For all that he attempted to mask his inner self, it came through in every tip of his head and every gesture of his hands.

Like now, Raveyne Felt frustration with himself bloom in Vanyel's chest at being corrected again. It happened every time he made a mistake, instantly the boy would begin to chastise himself. Raveyne half smiled, tipping Vanyel's chin up, shrugging. _You're too hard on yourself._

"Yes, yes, feet, sorry-" Van sighed, changing his position slightly. These training sessions, he found, were vastly improved now that Raveyne was somewhat more understandable. "Now, please. Again?"

Raveyne nodded, standing next to Vanyel, mirroring his position, bringing his elbow forward, flipping the handle of the sword in his hand to face an imaginary opponent, stabbing forward, and turning the blade again in his hand to pull it back to a ready position. He kept a mental ear tuned to Vanyel's state, waiting until his confusion was replaced with tentative recognition. "Now you- move- ah- ahead?"

"Forward, I think." Vanyel nodded, his dark brows tensing slightly, his tongue curling against his lip, fumbling a little with the motion that Raveyne had made look so easy, dropping the sword to the floor with a clatter. "Gods damn it-" He sighed in frustration, picking it up.

"One more time- what how do you- My fingers get in the way-" He exhaled noisily, puffing his cheeks out.

"Mnh?" When Rae looked at him questioningly, Vanyel lifted his hand, wiggling his fingers.

"My fingers. Are uhm- they get in the way. What do you do with them?" He moved back into a 'ready' position, bracing himself.

"Ah-" Raveyne moved to stand behind Vanyel, putting one hand over Vanyel's sword hand, guiding his movements. "Like this-" He moved in close to Vanyel, close enough to smell the light sheen of sweat on his skin. Vanyel felt a tingle run up his spine, he wasn't used to having anyone other than Tylendel this close to him. And with Tylendel so distant, it felt oddly comforting. He followed the motion of Raveyne's hand, turning the blade in his hand as he pulled it back. "You see? Smooth."

"I think so-" he nodded and swallowed, turning around and finding Raveyne very close to him still. His cheeks flushed, "I- uhm- th-thank you." He looked down at his feet, shuffling a little. When he wasn't teasing him, Raveyne wasn't completely awful. It was sort of nice to have someone else to work with, who wasn't doing it just because he felt sorry for him, or because he was Savil's nephew, or Tylendel's lover. His fan club had all but abandoned him once it became apparent that he wasn't going to be returning their affections. He did appreciate Raveyne taking the time to spend teaching him. _He certainly doesn't have to. Like everyone else around here, he has more important things to do than spend time with me._ His lower lip poked out slightly as he stared at his feet, trying not to feel sorry for himself.

"You- are welcome." Raveyne smiled slightly and ran a finger down Vanyel's nose slowly.

"Why do you do that?" Vanyel frowned, and swatted the hand away from his face, his lower lip poking out a little more. "Every time- you do that- is it just to toy with me, or what?"

To his consternation, Raveyne smiled faintly. "Like you. Peacock. You- are beautiful. Noisy, but beautiful." The smile broadened into a smirk as he leaned down and touched his lips lightly to Vanyel's. For a moment, Vanyel froze with his lips lightly parted, his eyes closed and eyebrows lifted a little. With Tylendel possessed by revenge, he had little interest in comforting Vanyel, or in long slow kisses that lasted all afternoon. But, unfortunately, Raveyne wasn't 'Lendel.

"Mmnnnno!" Vanyel pulled back, pushing Raveyne backward with both hands, wrenching himself away, ignoring the hurt and sorrow in Raveyne's eyes. "I love Tylendel-" He shook his head, dashing from the salle, his eyes filling hotly. He nearly tripped several times, skidding across the cobblestone courtyard. He couldn't go to he and Tylendel's room, 'Lendel would want to know what was wrong- _Maybe. He might not even notice. _Vanyel couldn't be sure which was worse, if Tylendel questioned him or if he didn't notice at all. Instead of his bedroom, Vanyel turned, cutting through the gardens to the Companion's field, seeking the quiet comfort of he and Tylendel's grove.

_Why would he do that?_ He snuffled and rubbed his nose with his sleeve, burying his face in the soft grass. He clung to his anger like a shield, protecting him from the memory of Raveyne's soft lips against his. When he first arrived at Haven, there had only been Tylendel who saw him as something other than the vain spoiled little brat everyone else saw, even Savil, his own family only scarcely tolerated him because Tylendel vouched for him. And soon even Savil wouldn't even be able to protect him from his father. He sobbed quietly, shaking his head. With Tylendel vanishing before his eyes, soon he wouldn't have anyone left to take care of him.

_What am I going to do?_


	11. Chapter 11: I'll Make it Right

For most of the afternoon, Vanyel stared blankly at the pages of his history texts. His teachers seemed to have granted him a reprieve for the moment, now that their relationship was revealed to the whole of the Collegium. He got the feeling that they were still withholding judgment for the time being, and a number of the Heralds had remained positively icy toward him. The few that had warmed to him, now seemed to chill as Vanyel found himself avoiding Tylendel. Not that he could blame them, Tylendel was still playing sick, and theoretically, Vanyel was to be playing nursemaid.

He sulked a little and drew aimless shapes on his note pages, and found his mind wandering back, retracing his most recent sparring session with Raveyne in the salle. Unlike the rest of the Collegium, it seemed that Raveyne had no preconceived notion of him. He wasn't extra hard on him in the salle because he used a different method, and even though their conversation was limited, Vanyel found himself looking forward to hearing what Raveyne had to say. When he offered instruction, he was consistently patient and gentle, unlike nearly every other instructor Vanyel had known.

It didn't hurt either, that Vanyel also found himself thinking of the way Raveyne moved. It was- unlike anyone else he'd ever seen. Where his words were halting and frequently imprecise, his movements were fluid and effortless. Half the time, Vanyel was unsure if they were sparring, or taking part of an intricate dance across the polished wood floor of the practice area. _Not to mention, how he looked dripping, climbing out of the tub-_

_That_ thought he pushed away hastily, shaking his head, forcing himself back to reality. _I'm not getting anything done other than daydreaming._

Vanyel carried his study materials back from the library. He hated to admit it, but Tylendel's obsession over the spells and his plan made it difficult to study in their room. It was as if the air between them had changed. Adding to that, his own guilt, over what happened at the salle, Vanyel avoided the quarters he and Tylendel shared more often than not. Before, 'Lendel had always had the answers, and with him so focused on his plan for revenge, Vanyel felt listless and uncertain. He yawned, leaning on the door, pushing it open with his shoulder.

"'Lendel?" He set his books on the table in the corner, sucking his lip nervously between his teeth. He could never be sure lately which version of Tylendel he was going to encounter. The mumbling drone, the hot-tempered assassin, the broken-hearted twin, or the true 'Lendel, the laughing and self-assured boy he'd fallen in love with.

"Van! There you are- I think I've got it-" Tylendel's eyes were madly alight as he stood slowly, taking Vanyel's hands in his. "Sovvan- everyone else will be out celebrating, or occupied with their own losses-" His voice choked and tears threatened to fill his eyes, "-too occupied to remember Staven- what they did to him-" He clutched at Vanyel's shoulders, pulling him to him, whispering hotly in his ear, "Tell me Van, that you'll still help me. That you'll turn down any invitations to celebrations to be at my side- please-"

Vanyel swallowed hard and nodded, his eyes wide. "Yes, of course-" His shoulders hurt a little where 'Lendel's fingers dug into them, pressing into his tunic. He was half afraid 'Lendel would rip it off him in a moment, and not in the fun and ravishing way that he was accustomed to. "Of course I will-" His heart clattered in his chest, hugging Tylendel tightly. _If that's what it takes to bring you out of this madness- to bring you back to me- I'll do anything. _His stomach knotted with guilt, remembering the touch of Raveyne's lips, and he nodded again quickly. He had his own sins to atone for; even if he hadn't started it, there had been a long moment where he had wanted to give in to Raveyne's kiss. _I'll make it up to you though, 'Lendel. I will-_

"Good, good-" For a moment 'Lendel looked his old self when a sunny grin split his face and he kissed Vanyel firmly, clutching his face in his hands. "I'm feeling better today- than I have in a long time. And once this is over- the Leshara will know that they can't attack the innocent, with magic no less- without having to pay the price-" Vanyel's brow tensed as Tylendel's grin was darkened with a mad gleam of his eye. He kissed Vanyel again, hard, bruising his lips a little.

"Mn-" Vanyel lifted his head a little, pulling back enough to take the edge from Tylendel's harsh, possessive kiss. "I love you, 'Lendel. I'd- I'd do anything for you-" He blinked back at his love, letting Tylendel lead him to the bed. Tylendel had scarcely noticed Vanyel's presence in the room since his twin's death, much less paid attention to him physically, and even though 'Lendel's gleefully dark mood frightened him, he ached to be held, and touched, and comforted the way Tylendel had when they first found each other. They tumbled to the bed with Tylendel tearing Vanyel's shirt from his back, kissing hotly down his neck and chest.

"Oh- 'Lendel-" he closed his eyes, tipping his head back, knotting his fingers in Tylendel's blonde ringlets. Tylendel's tongue wandered over his skin, teasingly, slowly working his way down to Vanyel's belt, tugging it off. When he stood to pull his own tunic off, Vanyel looked up at him. Watching Tylendel's skin be revealed, he saw a brief flash in his head, of bronze tanned skin, dripping wet and flushed. He blinked rapidly, and frowned, reaching for Tylendel, needing to touch him to banish the thought. It wasn't right to think of someone else, when he had his beloved right here, finally smiling at him for the first time in a long time.

"Van- you don't know what it means to me, your helping with this-" Tylendel looked up at him with eyes that shone, pressing his lips firmly to Vanyel's. "I promise- it will be worth it- those Leshara bastards have to realize they can't invoke magic and use it against innocent people."

Vanyel nodded, leaning up meet 'Lendel's lips, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck. "I know love-" He buried his face against his neck, wrapping around him with his whole body. _Please, anything you need. I'm so sorry, it will never happen again- we'll fix this. We'll make it right for your family, and for us-_ He looked up at Tylendel, briefly seeing a flash of dark dark eyes and straight dark hair masking pointed ears in front of him.

_A trick of the firelight-_ He blinked, and saw Tylendel again; and for a moment wished for the calm peace of those deep blue eyes instead of the mad amber glow that had taken over his love's face. He cursed at himself mentally, his eyes tracing Tylendel's features, tracing his fingers over them as if to commit them to a physical memory. _I'll make it right for you. I owe you. You saved my life, and I love you, and I'll make it right._


	12. Chapter 12: Come In

Vanyel yawned and rubbed his sleep scratchy eyes, following Tylendel back to the Collegium. With only a fortnight to Sovvan, Tylendel's blood lust had reached its fevered zenith. He kept his hood pulled tightly around his head to block out the chill that swept between buildings. This was the fourth night in a row that Tylendel shook Vanyel awake in the wee hours of the morning to scout for possible locations to build his Gate. During the day, Tylendel expressed his fears that Savil, or one of his teachers would suspect something if Vanyel begged off sick, so he'd simply been cutting back on his rest. _Gods- I'm so tired. I need to rest, I need for this all to be over, and for life to go back to normal again For us to go back to normal again._ He brushed at the tears that stung his cheeks, curling against his horse's back.

"Is there someone following us?" Tylendel pulled his horse back and whispered harshly, the hiss in his voice as biting to Vanyel's ears as the wind. He gripped the younger boy's arm tightly, "Vanyel- promise me you didn't tell anyone-" His eyes burned from deep within his hood, and Vanyel half-feared he would be pulled from the saddle. At first Tylendel's fervor had been dampened by his backlash shock and fever. That had long since passed, though the two of them still kept up the ruse to prevent Savil and Lancir from asking too many questions. Savil didn't seem to think that Tylendel was taking over long to recover, and generally let him rest for most of the day.

"No- I didn't tell anyone!" He winced, biting his lower lip, "'Lendel- that's my bad arm- I- you're hurting me-" Vanyel looked back at Tylendel, afraid to let him keep dragging on his arm, and afraid to pull it away. He found it difficult to be around Tylendel when he was possessed this way, but every time he started to pull away, to give himself space to breathe with a little sanity, Tylendel accused him of betrayal, or leaving him to tell Savil of their plan. It seemed that no matter how many times he assured him, Tylendel never seemed at peace. He looked back at Tylendel with his eyes wide and round, silently pleading for 'Lendel to release him.

For a long moment, Tylendel's eyes narrowed jealously until he seemed convinced that Vanyel spoke the truth. He let go of his arm, nodding slightly, "You _can't_ tell anyone Vanyel. No one can know, if _anyone_ finds out, they'll try and stop us, and the Leshara will get away with murdering Staven. The Heralds haven't done a damn thing to punish them, and they won't- because we're supposed to be so damned bloody _neutral_ about everything." He turned his attention forward again, continuing his litany against the Leshara, the enforced neutrality of the Heralds, the unfairness of it all. Vanyel let his horse slow, until he was mostly out of earshot, only catching snatches of Tylendel's voice carried back to him by the wind.

He ducked his head low and rubbed at his eyes and nose with his sleeve, banishing the tears that threatened to flow. He feared that if he gave in, the dam would burst, and he wouldn't be able to stop. The chill in the air felt all too familiar, too much like his dream of the ice, surrounding him and freezing his heart. His lower lip shook, and he bit it hard to still it, tasting blood. The worst of it, was not the change in his lover, or the constant muttering and obsession. What Vanyel found most painful, was the ache deep inside him where Tylendel's warmth, his guidance, and his love used to be. Whenever he looked inside himself lately, he found a dark hole there. To probe too deeply at that hurting place made him feel panicky and lost, and he willed himself to simply leave it alone, and wait for Tylendel to exact his revenge and return to normalcy. Being around Tylendel only served to make him feel more alone, as alone as he was when he first arrived.

As the Collegium rose before them, Vanyel picked up something else on the bitter wind, a few snatches of song. _That-sound- the light from my dream?_ He looked up, peering around to find the source. The closer they rode to the notes became clearer, sending low hollow notes through the cobbled courtyard. The notes seemed to penetrate the gusts of wind, reaching his ears, and slowly they wound a melody through his thoughts. It was the song from his dream; which he had followed out of the ice, into the warmth again.

_But- that was just a dream- I thought- that would be Tylendel, the gold of his hair, and his eyes-_ He swallowed, watching the line of 'Lendel's shoulders ahead of him. If Tylendel heard the melody, he didn't give any sign of it as he dismounted at the stable. Vanyel followed suit silently, taking care to rub down his horse, and put away the tack just as they had found it. Their first outing Tylendel had impressed the importance of secrecy on him. Vanyel shuddered slightly at the memory of Tylendel's amber eyes alight, the way his fingers had gripped Vanyel's shoulders tensely until he could be satisfied that the boy would do as he was instructed.

"'Lendel?" He whispered quietly as he pushed his hood back from his face, "I'm going to get a bath- I'm frozen through-" He tested the waters of Tylendel's mood, following him into the buiding, unsure if this would return a response full of anger, or more stillness. He couldn't be sure if Tylendel heard him or not. If he did, he gave no sign as they padded silently back to Savil's set of rooms, and their shared bedroom. He removed his cloak, hanging it by the door, gathering a change of clothes.

He did have every intention of soaking in the tub, and thawing out, but he felt compelled to follow the source of hushed notes that now seemed to permeate the hall. If it was the same as his dream, he wanted to know where it was coming from. The past moon or so, the recurring golden notes leading him from the ice had been the only comfort he'd found outside of Raveyne's gentle praise during their workout sessions.

Lifting his head, he followed the path before him that the music seemed to lay out, heading into the upper levels of the castle. Carrying his towel and robe, he made his way through the hallways, following the soft melody, ending at a door at the top of a staircase. He pressed his ear to the door, closing his eyes. He lifted one hand, knocking lightly on the door, swallowing hard. He hesitated, afraid that he would be bothering the player. He took a few steps back from the door, seeing a crack of light open in the darkness. He clutched his towel and robe against his chest, blinking when he saw Raveyne standing in the doorway in front of him.

"Raveyne?" He whispered, looking around, then back at the figure in the doorway. "I'm sorry I just- I thought I heard-"

"Come in?" Raveyne took a step back, leaving the door open for Vanyel to make up his own mind if he was going to come in or not. The other boy entered nervously, and in his aura, Raveyne saw myriad swirling colors, as he tried to sort out myriad conflicting feelings. He gestured to the belongings in Vanyel's arms and he lifted one dark brow, curling comfortably into one of the chairs. "Bath- is downstairs?"

"I know it is. I- was that you? Playing?" He shut the door quietly, occupying the other seat. He set his towel and robe on the floor, pulling his chilled limbs in close to the fire blazing in the hearth.

"Oh- my _lindele,_ it wake you?" _That's not what it was supposed to do. _He lifted his eyebrows curiously, handing the instrument to Vanyel to see for himself.

Vanyel took the flute, examining it, smoothing his hands over the smooth polished wood. It was comprised of three parts of wood he saw, that had been joined together almost seamlessly, with one small piece tied with a strip of leather over an opening at the top to tune the instrument to the player. He pressed his pale slender fingers over the holes, turning it over in his hands. "No- I—I was already awake." He frowned slightly, part of him hoping that Raveyne wouldn't ask why, and part of him willing him to ask anyway. He blew a few tentative notes on the instrument, finding it still warm from Raveyne's lips.

The foreign boy leaned forward, stirring the fire a little. "I play- in night. Many people here- they sleep light. Sleep- unwell, maybe. I put- some from myself into the song, with _lindele,_ and- make peace. They sleep- I sleep." He shrugged, facing the fire, watching Vanyel from the corner of his eye.

"You-led me out of the ice." Vanyel's words were a whisper. He didn't dare look up at Raveyne, for fear that he'd lose the will to speak. "I have a dream, where I'm trapped in the ice. And- I'm freezing from the inside out. I had the dreams when I first came here, and- they started again, after Tylendel's- after he took sick. And-" He swallowed, brushing at his cheeks with the back of his hand, finding his knuckles wet, "-one night, I heard this music, and this light. And- I followed it out of the ice-" The fine lines of his face glowed gold in the reflection from the fireplace when he looked up at Raveyne, silver threads of tears lining his cheeks.

"Peacock-" Raveyne's dark head tipped to the side as his hand gently cupped Vanyel's cheek. His thumb brushed away the tears softly, his calloused palm against his cheek. When Vanyel looked back at his eyes, he saw cool blue, mirroring the undertones of his own silver ones. _I wish I knew what to say to make it better for you. I'm not even very good with words in my own language, much less yours._ Slowly, Raveyne stood to pick up a spare blanket from the foot of his bed, tucking it around Vanyel's chilled shoulders, wrapping the other boy in a gentle embrace.

That was all it took, to nudge open the floodgates that had been threatening to burst for the past few weeks. Vanyel clutched at Raveyne's tunic, burying his face against his chest, his shoulders heaving. He sobbed dejectedly, pouring out the loneliness, fear, and worry that had plagued him. For his part, Raveyne gently lifted Vanyel's smaller body to curl in his lap, holding him a little tighter. He whispered soft words in his language and Vanyel's, the ones he knew anyway, against the dark wing of Vanyel's hair.

"I- I feel so alone-" Vanyel choked and wiped futilely at his cheeks and nose, barely understandable through his sobs, "I-I- thought 'Lendel- would be there- that he- but he's- he's so differe-ent now- He doesn't- he never looks at me- t-touches me- a-and I can't- he _scares_ me sometimes-"

Raveyne nodded, wishing for a handkerchief in reach to wipe at the boy's face. He relied more on his Reading of Vanyel than his words, missing about half of those that were intelligible. "Shh- Peacock." Vanyel's usual fair coloring had gone red-faced and blotchy with his tears, and Raveyne was sure he would never appear in front of anyone else this way unless he truly couldn't help it. From deep inside, he could Feel the ache and hurt, as if a piece of the boy had been cut out, leaving a gaping hole.

"Ah-and my _father-_ P-people know about 'Lendel and me now- my father- he-Gods there's no way- he'll let me stay-" His jaw shook, burying his face in his hands willing himself to disappear. _I'm going to lose- everything- just like before- only now I'm going to be losing things that _matter. "And- I can't- Bardic won't take me- I'm not Chosen- I'm not a Healer- I'm- I'm not _anything!_"

Vanyel felt his face lifted in Raveyne's warm hands, meeting his eyes. "You- are you." He sighed, wrapping his arms around the other boy's narrow shoulders.

"And what's that? _Nothing_, that's what." He took a slow shuddery breath, looking back at Raveyne, seeing his face in shimmery outlines until he blinked, sending more tears over his cheeks. "Even Savil can't keep me here- not if- _when-_ my father comes to take me home-" Vanyel shook his head, his whole face starting to crumple again, resting his head against Raveyne's tear streaked tunic again. He felt a gentle hand smooth over his hair and sighed, his lower lip quivering.

"Sleep- Peacock." Carefully, Raveyne untucked himself from the chair, picking Vanyel up with an easy strength that surprised the other boy. Vanyel let himself be carried like a child, holding on tightly to Raveyne's shoulder, hiding his wet cheek in the hollow of his neck. "In the morning- maybe feel clearer."

Although the bed was much the same as the one he shared with Tylendel, without another body sharing the space it felt enormous to Vanyel. He curled up, snuffling into the pillow, breathing in Raveyne's scent that lingered on the sheets and pillowcase. _He even smells different than Tylendel._ "Will you—uhm-"

Raveyne paused in the doorway that separated the two rooms. From across the room Vanyel even looked like a child, small in the center of the bed with pillows and blankets around him. He lifted his eyebrows askance.

"Will you- stay?" He sat up, and reached a hand out for the dark shadow in the doorway. He wasn't sure if it was Raveyne specifically, but he didn't want to sleep alone, and there was no way he could be in front of Tylendel like this. The image of Tylendel's eyes burning in the darkness on their way back toward the Collegium sent a shiver through him, and his lower lip shook lightly. Raveyne nodded, and padded noiselessly across the room. He made no noise, and Vanyel could have mistaken him for an actual shadow if not for the shimmer ofhis eyes. His breath caught as he watched Raveyne peel his tunic off, fold it neatly, and place it on the chest at the foot of the bed. "I just—I don't want to be alone." He was rewarded with another nod as Raveyne stretched out next to him, folding him in a gentle embrace.

After a few moments, he became aware that Raveyne was singing softly, and that after being awake so long, he felt wrung out and exhausted. He fell asleep after just a few rounds of Raveyne's low comforting voice, in words that Vanyel didn't quite understand, just half-remember from a dream.


	13. Chapter 13: Where were you?

Dim light streaming through the window woke Vanyel from a deep sleep. He sat up blearily, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes, yawning. _Gods-I haven't slept like that in a fortnight._ He looked around, trying to place his surroundings. The blankets were standard issue, rather than the slightly finer bedclothes Savil had. He rubbed his hands over the wool blanket, trying to work himself more awake. The room plainly wasn't his, there were no decorations on the walls, and no door leading out into the gardens. Out the small window, there was only sky, no lush plans or fall leaves brushed up against the outer walls.

A body stirred next to him, drawing his attention. _'Lendel?_ He didn't see why Tylendel should be here, but-

_Raveyne?_

A dark head lay on the pillow next to him, hair tousled with sleep. For a moment, Vanyel sat very still, his eyes tracing his features. He hadn't had a chance really to see his ears, most of the time he kept them carefully covered with a hood, or his hair. He bit his lower lip, reaching out to touch the slightly curled tip of one ear, pulling back quickly when he saw Raveyne's eyes flicker open.

"I- I'm sorry-" With his heart pounding, Vanyel slid out of the bed, landing in a heap on the floor. He noted with relief; he was still fully clothed under the covers, taking it as an indication that nothing too serious had happened. He couldn't quite remember what happened, exactly. He remembered being freezing, hurrying to shower after he and Tylendel returned, and then- music, and not very much else. "I have to go- uhm, I'm sorry-" He vanished into the front room to collect his towel and robe, heart lodged uncomfortably in his throat. His whole face felt puffy, red and scratchy, as if he'd been crying before he fell asleep.

"Peacock?" Vanyel shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, willing himself not to look when he heard Raveyne padding quietly across the bedroom floor. He caught himself looking anyway, sucking his lower lip between his teeth. Once again, he found himself rewarded with an eyeful of smooth muscle and tawny skin. "You- do not have to go-"

"Yes I do- you don't- I- I do-" Vanyel nodded vigorously, bobbing his head as he opened the door to the dark stairwell. "I- I've got class, and I've got Tylendel- and- I just- I really do have to go. I'm sorry, I do."

Before Raveyne could say anything else, he sprinted away down the dimly lit stairwell. Several times his bare feet skidded on the stone floor. He scarcely paused to look around before he collided with Tylendel on the way into their room.

"Vanyel- where were you last night?" Tylendel gripped his shoulders hard, dimpling his fingers, dragging him into the room, rushing him to the bedroom. He pressed Vanyel up against the door, his eyes and dark and glittering. "Where. Were. You. I swear by the Gods- if you told anyone-" Tylendel shook his head violently, his curls tumbling into his face. "Vanyel- swear to me you didn't tell anyone- _Swear!_"

"I- I swear! I didn't! I-" Vanyel's lower lip trembled, his face crumpling when he looked into Tylendel's eyes and saw nothing of his love there, only the hurt and fury that had been camping around his heart ever since Staven's death. _And I have no idea how to explain where I was. _"I never would- I didn't say anything to anyone!" He cupped Tylendel's face, frantically searching his eyes for any remainder of sanity or love there. "I promise!"

"Listen to me, Vanyel. You're not going to tell anyone what we have planned. Not Savil- not even in a letter to your sister, do you understand me? No. One." He hissed dangerously, his fingers gripping Vanyel's cheeks until he left dimpled marks under his cheekbones. "You are going to stay here, and go to class, and come back, and that's all. And you're going to help me get my revenge on the Leshara, and then- I don't care what happens. But I swear in the Gods name, if you tell anyone- I'll kill you. I am not going to have you stand in my way. Do you understand me?"

Vanyel winced and ducked his head, tears welling hotly between his lashes. He heard Tylendel's words echoing through his head, reverberating until they became larger than the sum of their parts. "_I don't care what happens… I'll kill you… I don't care…_"

"Let me go, please-" He his head, sending the tears rolling over his cheeks, "Please, 'Lendel- you're not yourself right now- Please, let me go-" He crumpled against the door, his body puddling between Tylendel's feet and the door. He covered his face with his hands, trying to shield himself from Tylendel's wrath. "Lendel-"

Tylendel lifted Vanyel's chin in his hand, golden eyes blazing into silver. "Vanyel- pull yourself together. You can't let anyone see you like this- they'll know something is going on." He stood, edging the door open, slipping out, "I need some air. Don't go out like that- understand?"

He nodded with his lip shaking, rubbing his nose on his sleeve like a small child without a tissue. He hiccupped noiselessly, dragging himself to his feet. Vanyel spread his hand against the door as Tylendel pulled the door shut behind him with an ominous click.


	14. Chapter 14: Tell Me About You

Vanyel reminded himself that the plan was business as usual, lest anyone realize that he and Tylendel were planning anything for Sovvan. Tylendel reasoned that for Vanyel to suddenly change his plans a week before, would seem too suspicious; though he had made it clear again upon his return that his desire for revenge was paramount over anything else, and that if Vanyel couldn't be trusted he would find a solution quite readily. Unsure if it was even safe to sleep, Vanyel had spent most of the night awake, first waiting for Tylendel to return back to their rooms, and then for him to finally set aside the recopied spells and go to sleep. Once he had finally seemed to exhaust himself enough to collapse into sleep, Vanyel slipped from the bed to look over the pages, slipping them from under the binding of one of 'Lendel's text books. He furrowed his brow, checking over his shoulder when he saw the pages. The same pages he had watched Tylendel carefully copy from Savil's text; had been worn nearly inkless withTylendel's constant handling. Only a few words, away from the creases and edges where Tylendel's fingers rubbed were still visible.

_But- I could have sworn he was reading-_ He looked again back at Tylendel, sprawled out on what had been their bed for the past few months. Even in the dim candlelight, his face was tense and drawn, a shadow of the playful, bright Trainee who had taken Vanyel under his wing and fallen in love with him. _Who are you now, 'Lendel?_

In the morning, Vanyel had bathed, and scrubbed traces of tears from his cheeks. He spent most of his morning classes trying not to yawn, and doing his best to avoid the attention of anyone who knew him. He felt a strange combination of guilt and relief that Tylendel was out when he stopped into their room briefly to change into lighter clothing for working in the salle. In some ways, it was a relief to be able to follow his routine by rote, propelling him forward through the day. _I- can only hope that he'll be back to normal, once all this over. That he'll see me and love me again._

He kept his chin lifted, doing his best to give off his usual icy persona, lest someone attempt to make small talk. "Hello Raveyne." He nodded coolly to Raveyne, putting all thoughts of waking up in his bed out if his head. Especially the soft hurt look in his eyes when Vanyel had nearly sprinted from his quarters.

_You are a mess. _Raveyne thought as he tipped his head to the side thoughtfully, his eyes focusing on the aura around and within Vanyel rather than his chill exterior. The colors swirled unhappily in shades of ill green and maroon around Vanyel, coming in to sharp focus when Raveyne focused his Sight on them. He furrowed his brow and reached toward Vanyel, squeezing his fingers lightly. "You- come walk with me."

"I thought we had an appointment to go over my footwork this afternoon?"Vanyel lifted his chin a little, taking his hand back. "If you don't have time, I have some reading I can do."

"No. I have time for you. I want to walk." He took Vanyel's hand again, and led him out of the salle, padding along the stone walkway through the gardens. At this time of year, the gardens were mostly sticks and dried leaves, and generally unpopulated. During the summer, the benches and hideaways attracted courters and mischief makers alike, but once classes were in full swing and the chill weather set in, the broad gardens were devoid of other humans. Vanyel realized, even walking with Raveyne- he was still the only human occupying the gardens, and the thought gave him pause.

"I like- this time." Raveyne nodded a little, and for a moment Vanyel was unsure if he was being spoken to, or if Raveyne was merely talking to himself. "Cold- Autumn. Leaves. Quiet. Time for- harvest."

Vanyel nodded, kicking apart a pile of leaves, shuddering and wiping quickly at his boot when the gold spray of leaves also awoke a nest of aphids that immediately took a liking to his boot. He grimaced, kicking his foot, grabbing Raveyne's arm to keep from falling over while he took his boot off to shake it out. "Ughhh-" He shook his head, shivering a little. Raveyne smiled slightly, one corner of his mouth pulling up, and he rested a hand on the small of Vanyel's back, holding him steady.

"Sorry-" Vanyel muttered an apology, slowly releasing Raveyne from his grip.

Raveyne nodded quietly, and took a moment to brush a piece of Vanyel's hair back away from his face. "Autumn- I think always- feels some sad too. It feels like- the end." He offered a small smile, shrugging, "Also it is- when I was born. So it- is a strange time."

"Your- birthday is in Autumn?" Vanyel frowned and wove slowly through the garden paths next to Raveyne. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, not sure what he else he might say though. "Would you- tell me? About you?"

"What would you know?" Raveyne laughed, "Tell me you? Who is you?"

"Who am I, you mean." Vanyel corrected automatically, sinking down onto one of the benches, slightly shielded by a curtain of red and gold leaves.

"So? Who- are you?" He quirked an eye brow and took a seat next to Vanyel, tucking one foot up onto the bench, he wrapped his arms around his knee.

"I'm- I'm Vanyel- I-"He blinked, looking down at the space between his feet. His fingers wound together nervously as he chewed on his lower lip. He ran through possible answers in his head, I'm- Savil's nephew. My father's, Withen Ashkevron's, son. Tylendel's lover. Lissa's brother. Jervis' whipping boy."

Raveyne nodded thoughtfully. "You- belong to other people? Savil's, father's, Tylendel's- who is Vanyel, without them?"

Vanyel blinked back at him, rethinking his answers. Raveyne had a point, everything he might be, seemed to be associated with someone else's name. His delicate brow knotted with thought, and he chewed nervously at the edge of his thumbnail. "I- I'm-" He frowned, shaking his head, "I don't- I don't know."

The other boy shrugged, resting an arm across Vanyel's shoulder, ruffling his long hair gently. "How then, to tell- who you are? Who am I then?" He smiled and tugged Vanyel over to hug him against his side. "Good question, Peacock."

Vanyel frowned, but let himself be held for a moment. He looked up at Raveyne, gingerly tucking anarm around his waist. "You- didn't answer my question. At least- I tried to answer yours-"

"I- was part of a family. I left, because it was not a good place for me." He shook his head, looking down at Vanyel, petting his hair gently. He let himself toy with the dark silken strands for a moment, smiling wistfully. "Your father- hard for you. Mine- same." He shook his head, and his eyes took on a pale green sheen, filling with sorrow for a moment. Raveyne lifted Vanyel's hand, guiding it to his slightly crooked nose, then to the uneven line of his jaw. He pressed Vanyel's fingers against his jaw, and Vanyel blinked a little, running his fingers across the place where the bones had reknit a little off, probably many years ago.

_My father- was- gruff toward me. He- wanted me to be someone else, but he didn't- Jervis beat on me, and he let him, but- he didn't- not- like that-_ He sucked his lower lip between his teeth, meeting Raveyne's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Raveyne shrugged and soothed himself by petting Vanyel's hair. "Long time ago. Long long ago. I- left. Traveled- many years. Far, far to the South. Always it is like Summer there. Hot. Trees so high they make a second sky. People who live in trees, like _Tayledras_. Elves. Small. Smaller than you. Ears like mine. Only more so. They use- mind magics. Speak with no words. All in mind. I- do not. I learn- to listen." He nodded, winding his fingers through Vanyel's hair, looking down at his pale upturned face.

"But- what about you? Did- how did you get down there?" Vanyel looked up, shifting to be a little more comfortable, resting his head against Raveyne's thigh, looking up at him.

Raveyne motioned with his fingers, making a walking motion. "Walk. Feet. Long time." He nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear.

"But where did you stay?" Vanyel reached up tentatively and traced his index finger over Raveyne's ear. He watched Raveyne's eyes, despite the pointed difference in appearance, it just felt like an ear, a little soft, and yielding, chilled in the cool autumn air.

"Out. Warm- I stay out. Cold-" Raveyne sighed and took Vanyel's hand, and smoothed his hand over the back of it. "Still—out. Tent. Build fire, stay close." The corner of his mouth pulled into a faint grimace and Raveyne shook his head.

"By yourself?" The question came up from his lap, and Raveyne looked down, shrugging a little.

"Alone. I-"He shook his head, pressing his lips together. "Empath- with no shield- no—filter. Could not- keep other people out. All their feelings, I feel." He swallowed hard, closing his eyes to avoid Vanyel's glance. "I knew always- what people felt. Of me. I knew- my father—did not want me. Wanted- ah- not fey- you call _shay a'chern._ Knew- when others only wanted- a body, a face- not more-" He opened his eyes slowly and looked up, tipping his head back against the bench. He exhaled shakily, blinking a few times. "Too much- feeling- from other people- could never- be close to them. Until I come here- always—outside. To be too close- too much pain." He shrugged and brushed himself off mentally, giving Vanyel his attention again. "Until- Ilia, come for me. I come here. Learn, Shield myself. Now- not so alone."

Vanyel sat up and cupped Raveyne's cheek in his hand, so that the older boy's head turned to look at him. "I am sorry- Raveyne." He ducked his head a little and wrapped his arms around Raveyne's shoulders, hugging him gently. _You haven't been anything but kind to me, and I haven't done anything but shut you out for it._

"Why?" Raveyne asked, and lifted is head to see Vanyel's face.

"Because- I haven't been very nice to you. You've- worked with me, you let me stay in your room and cry all over you in the middle of the night, and half the time I act like I don't know who you are when we pass in the hallway-" He bent his head shamefully, cursing his own selfishness.

"Peacock-" Raveyne's voice was gently chiding and he lifted Vanyel's chin in his hand. "Stop. You- are nice. You work with me, when I cannot- speak right. Visit me in my room- you are the only one to. And lots of- space- in public." He winked playfully, running his finger slowly down the perfect line of Vanyel's nose.

Vanyel's eyes crossed to follow Raveyne's finger, reaching forward to put his arms gently around the other boy's shoulders, hugging him as Raveyne had done for him earlier. He petted his hair gently, closing his eyes. It was nice to be able to sit with someone else quietly, and just be held for a moment. Even Lissa had started to insist he was getting too old for such things before he left Forst Reach. He'd never really returned the favor to Tylendel either. Before Staven's death, Tylendel had always been the one to comfort him, and now- he remained beyond reach.

He looked back at Raveyne, smiling bemusedly. He stroked his finger slowly down the uneven line of Raveyne's nose. "Your father- broke your nose." His silver eyes met Raveyne's and his heart twisted a little sadly. "Before I came here- Jervis- broke my arm, a little before I came here. He- is the armsmaster at my father's house. I just wanted- to show that I the- hack and slash methods- weren't the only way. That- I could find another way to do things; that would work better for me."

Raveyne nodded quietly, and lifted Vanyel's hand, kissing his palm. "I would have- my father see- fey, shaych was- work better for me. He- disagree. Jervis-" He ran his palm slowly over Vanyel's arm, "disagree?"

"He did." Vanyel nodded, looking down at Raveyne's hand. They sat quietly for a moment, with Raveyne's hand warming his arm against the chill. Vanyel nodded, and worried his lower lip. He leaned over, and kissed Raveyne's cheek, letting his lips linger for a moment.

Raveyne looked back at him, half smiling, squeezing Vanyel's hand. "We should- go more inside, Peacock. Too cold, out here." He nodded, standing up, taking the other boy's hand, patting his shoulder. "Too cold."


	15. Chapter 15: Getting too Old for This

_I'm getting too old for this-_ Savil sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She turned her attention to Cheron and Tevas. They were interrupting her lesson with Raveyne, and she was so close to isolating how he was able to use music along with his Empathy to project and amplify feelings. At least she had been, until they were interrupted. "A _what?" _

"A large- animal of some kind. Likely in from the Pelagirs. Several farmers to the south side of Haven have complained of missing a number of livestock. Although they did find a number of charred bones in the area as well." As per usual, Herald Tevas was to the point. Savil often found him refreshing because of this, though they hadn't worked together much- Tevas lacked the Mage Gift- their similar styles in communication generally meant they blended well when they did. "Something like-" He took out the letter from the lead Holder, "like a large drake. Winged in a haze of flame it- I believe that word is meant to be 'scorched'- the earth of our south acre." He neatly folded the sheet and put it away again.

Raveyne hovered near the edge of the work room, following the conversation as much as possible. He frowned a little, tapping Savil. "Savil- I- can go?"

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry Raveyne we'll just have to pick up where we left off when I get back." Savil dismissed him with a wave and turned her attention back to Tevas, "Let me see what they said-"

Raveyne shook his head and sighed, pointing to the folded paper. "No- I- can go? Like drake- wing- flame- I know?" He looked back at her, tipping his head to the side, Feeding her a little of the recognition that stirred in his mind at the words.

_:You think you know what it is, Lad?:_ Savil looked back at him askance. It was possible, the boy was from much farther away than even the _Tayledras_ and they were accustomed to any number of strange creatures. "If you think you can handle yourself- but it if looks like trouble, you're to fall back immediately, understand."

Cheron put a hand on the boy's shoulder and nodded. "The description sounded familiar to me as well, from going to collect Ilia. The ah- where he was staying, the ground was all scorched and blackened, and I had the opportunity to make the- acquaintance of what may be a creature just such as the one that the lead Holder described. If what I understand is correct, they're perfectly sentient and we might be able to reason with it to leave the area without causing any further damage to the countryside."

Raveyne nodded and smiled, pleased to be able to contribute. Constantly being pushed and pulled, and occasionally prodded at so that other people could better understand him was growing tiring. So far the rest of the trainees remained suspicious of him, and to the full Heralds, he was functionally invisible. Most of the time the only person he spoke to outside of lessons and the Library was Vanyel, and his attentions were hit and miss at best. "I think yes. I- can speak to. Their language maybe will listen?"

Savil looked back and forth between the two appraisingly. Cheron had an excellent point. If there were more of these things, and they were intelligent then a peaceful agreement might be much more beneficial than simply slaughtering the beast.

"All right. I'd like still like to ride out with you. I'm getting too bloody old to be traipsing around the countryside anymore, but we don't have the Mages to spare at the moment, so we'll have to make do with me. Just- give me a moment to collect myself. How far did you say it was, Tevas?"

"Just outside the city border, a few hours past the Southern Gate, is where the trouble seems to be. If we leave soon, we should be able to reach there before nightfall. And I'd rather. I can't say I look forward to dealing with anything in from the Pelagirs after sundown."


	16. Chapter 16: Fharluk

The road stretched out before the small party riding out the South Gate, low and gold in late autumn afternoon glow. Savil muttered to herself, leaning back comfortably Kellan's saddle. _:I'd much rather be at a celebration tonight-:_

_:I know Ashke, with any luck we'll be able to make it back early enough to celebrate as well.:_ Kellan's Voice in her mind was reassuring and she half smiled, scratching between his ears. All of them, with the possible exception of Raveyne, were in a hurry to head back to the castle and Collegium as soon as possible. Cheron to join friends, and Tevas and Savil to mourn their lost.

_:If the damned Holders could manage things on their own-:_ As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Savil chided herself. _Of course, they can't. That's why we're here, to help the people of Valdemar where they can't help themselves. _ She shook her head and sighed, turning her attention to Herald Tevas, "Where did you say this- creature was last seen?"

"There's a break in the hedge, and some dense thicket- the lead Holder said it had been holed up in there, he thought." Tevas turned from the road, ducking through an old gateway into the field beyond. "I don't bloody see how we're supposed to find this creature. Savil, do you get any Sense of magic, around here that might give us a clue?"

Savil closed her eyes and Looked. Most of the time, the strangelings from the Pelagirs carried with them some trace of magic that let the Heralds track them. "Nothing that I can See. It wasn't Gated in-" She turned to Cheron, falling back on his superior tracking skills. Cheron was already off Aravel's back, surveying the ground.

"I can see- where it landed at one point- the- deeper depressions here-" He counted off four paces, and crouched down again, "And- it's front- ah, feet, I suppose landed here; which means- the body would be- nearly twelve feet, from hip to shoulder. If it's like a drake or a wyvern, it would appear quite longer, because of the tail and head and-" He turned his head, as Raveyne brushed past him with only a slight rustle of leaves. Cheron turned to Savil askance, but she could only offer him a shrug.

"What is it, Raveyne?"

"I know-" He muttered an answer, putting one hand down in a large depression. The shape was hand-like, with a hole at the end of each finger, the mark of large slightly curved claws. "Fharluk?" The word he uttered was guttural, half growl and half spoken. He stood, brow furrowing, watching the thicket as the trees shook. Something large pushed through the lower branches, gold shining scales blended in seamlessly with the dry field around them.

"Gods-" Tevas reined his Companion back, notching an arrow, waiting for a moment to fire at the beast that approached them. Cheron had underestimated, from shoulder to hip as it stretched out, the creature was nearly twenty feet, nearly forty feet altogether, from nose to tail tip. Enormous wings curled against its sides and beat lightly with each bound. The face was reptilian, and strangely equine as well, with large eyes and nostrils, and rows of pointed teeth as long as a man's hand. "Raveyne, get back!"

"No, no-" Raveyne turned, waving a hand to Tevas, taking a few steps toward the beast, which shortly crossed the field separating them, bowling into Raveyne and knocking him to the ground. The creature pressed its head against him, rumbling low in its throat. Savil lifted her hands, calling up a mage-bolt, taking her aim; damned if she was going to lose another trainee after so nearly losing Tylendel. She stayed her hand when she heard Raveyne laugh, responding to the animal with similar clicks and growls, worming his way out from underneath it.

For the first time since he'd come to Haven, Savil saw the boy smile fully, eyes brightly lit as he held the beast's jaw in his hand, rapping his knuckles sharply on the ridge of bone over its nose. Much to the Heralds' surprise, rather than devouring the boy in two bites, the beast rolled over on its side, eyes full of glee and contrition. Even Savil had to laugh when Raveyne wagged a finger and was rewarded with the beast hiding its nose in the grass, rather like a dog that has been caught stealing from the table.

"[Fharluk, you simply cannot eat these peoples' cows. I'm supposed to be learning to protect them, and their cows. And you're not helping.]" Raveyne crouched down, rubbing his hands over the small dragon's nose. In truth, she was small, and still rather young and immature, full of play. Fharluk rolled over several times, contorting herself to wrap her tail around Raveyne's body.

"[But I like cows. They are tasty. Drahkankynne Raveyne- do you see how big I am? I _flew_here by myself!]" She opened her mouth in a toothy grin, standing up on hind legs, beating her wings impressively, flattening the grass around them. "[No cows?]"

Raveyne shook his head, taking her nose in both hands, tugging her back down to eye level. "[No cows. No pigs, no sheep, no… no llamas. No livestock of any kind. No chickens. No ducks, no geese- no animals that belong to people! There are lots of elk here, and lots of wild boar. Eat those. No. Cows.]" A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth in spite of himself, and he patted her nose affectionately. He had known Fharluk since she was just an egg, slept in her nest before she was even hatched. Because of their unique makeup, that allowed for Mindspeech among other sentient creatures, and reptilian background, Fharluk, Roxim, and their kin had never bothered him as humans or his own people had. Their different brains dealt with emotion differently, and Raveyne found he was able to interact with Fharluk at her surface, rather than being inundated with feelings at every moment. It was a blessing, as Raveyne suspected that were Fharluk's feelings readable, they would be very- loud. "[What are you doing here, Fharluk?]"

The whelp dropped back to all fours, butting Raveyne gently with her head, "[You went away. You were gone so long. Roxim said someone came and took you.]" She puffed herself up, inflating not-unlike a hot air balloon until she lifted off the ground a little, "[I came to help you!]"

Raveyne smiled, pushing her head away when she opened her jaws, expelling a stream of flame. "[Turn your damned head, whelp. I do not need help Fharluk. I- live here now, with these people. I am going to be a Herald, and help take care of these people.]" He looked to the other Heralds, as they watched him interact with the small dragon. "She- does not mean harm. Will not eat more cows. Was here to find- me. [Fharluk, really, I am all right.]"

He slug an arm companionably over the whelp's neck, resting his head against hers. "She will be good." He turned back to face her, pointing a finger, which she playfully nipped at, "[Be good.]"

Tevas shook himself alert, looking to Savil, "How can we be sure that- this creature will keep its word?"

"She will." Raveyne nodded firmly, petting Fharluk's scaly nose, scratching a little until she closed her eyes and rumbled low in her throat, "She- is not a creature. Dragon-let. Just- a child." He nodded, looking back at Fharluk, concern knotting his brow. "Maybe- I stay here, tonight. I- will watch her, keep her good. You can- go to Sovvan-celebrations. I- will be responsible. For her." He nodded, wrapping his arms around Fharluk's nose, watching Savil's eyes. _Gods know, I don't really have any place to be celebrating tonight. I would rather be with- family anyway._

Savil held Raveyne's eyes for a long moment and nodded, "All right lad. I'll be holding you to that. The first sign of trouble from her- and you'll be the one to answer from it."

"Yes, Savil. I understand." He nodded, patting Ilia's shoulder, climbing back into the saddle. "[Fharluk, I will be back, and I will spend tonight with you here.]" He turned back to Savil, guiding Ilia to head back toward the road. "We- can ride back together, and- I will get clothes, bedroll. I can find- my way back to here."

"I'm sure you can. You're sure you want to stay out here on your own?" Savil pulled Kellan up next to Ilia, leading the way back toward Haven. "You're welcome to join me, or anyone else at the Collegium tonight as well, you know that, right?"

"Yes, Savil. I will not be alone. Will be- with Fharluk. She is like family." He nodded, looking back at Savil quietly. "I will be alright."


	17. Chapter 17: Sovvan Night

The wind cut straight through their cloaks as Tylendel and Vanyel crept away from the Collegium. Vanyel tried to put aside his misgivings, trying to shield himself from the wind as much as possible. _When did it get so bloody cold?_ He ducked his head, trying to seal up the gaps in his cloak, but every blast seemed to find a chink and work an icy finger in against his skin. He shivered, watching Tylendel's back as he led them on their broken down palfreys out of the city. It felt like the whole city was celebrating around them, with the two of them carrying their own cloud of darkness around them. He hoped fervently that once Tylendel's quest for revenge was satisfied, that the cloud around his heart might also be lifted.

Once they were outside the city walls, Tylendel kept close to the hedge that bordered the road, seeking the opening that they had scouted out earlier. Tylendel had said they needed a physical space for the Gate in order for the spell to take effect properly. Vanyel still wasn't entirely certain of what his part in all this was. He was to provide energy, in some fashion, although he wasn't certain how.

"Hold-" Tylendel whispered, reining in his horse, sliding out of the saddle. "We're here-" He waited for Vanyel to climb down from his swaybacked mount. He looked over the opening, nodding, mapping it with his palms. "Yes-"

He turned to Vanyel, holding his shoulders, "Vanyel- I might have to hurt you- I don't think it's avoidable-" Vanyel nodded, biting his lower lip, watching Tylendel's eyes. They still held a mad gleam that made Vanyel's stomach turn anxiously.

"I- I understand- It's just- for Staven, right?" He nodded again, doing his best to reassure both of them that it would be all right. _It will, won't it?_

"I need you to be still now- all right?" Tylendel took a breath, and Vanyel Felt the place where Tylendel lived inside him open a little more, stretching as Tylendel began tapping in to something- deep inside of him. He closed his eyes, concentrating, his brow knotted with the strange pressure from within his mind. Just as suddenly and strangely as the pressure had built, he felt Tylendel withdraw and opened his eyes. The moment he did he doubled over, feeling as if his head was about to be split in two.

"Ngh- Tylendel- what-"

"I heard something-" Tylendel's eyes were wide, searching the blackness. He lifted one hand, raising a mage-light. His eyes searched the field and wood, taking a few steps forward. "Who's there?"

Vanyel clutched his stomach and stooped to one knee. Everything in him ached, his mind filled with the sensation of being strangely- stretched. He rubbed at his aching temples, retching. "Tylendel-" he looked up in time to see a pair of enormous glowing eyes raise above the hedge, a blast of flame heating and scorching the earth. He screamed, and was dimly aware that both of their mounts shrieking, clattering down the road out of sight. The beast roared into the night, raising up on hind legs, snapping forward at the light. "Tylendel!"

"Fharluk!" A third voice cut through the dark, and three heads turned to the sound of running footsteps. Raveyne's face came into the glow of the mage-lit pathway, sword drawn. He reached up, using the flat of the blade to whap at the dragon's snout. "[Stop!]"

To Vanyel's shock, the creature fell back to all fours, resting its chin contritely on the ground, snorting. "Raveyne?" He began to lift his head and sat down again, clutching his temples. "I- what's happening?"

"Vanyel!" Tylendel gripped his shoulders, lifting Vanyel up bodily, glaring into his wide silver eyes. "What in blazes is he doing here?" He hissed menacingly through his teeth, drawing his own sword, "I swear by the Gods if you gave us up-"

"No! I didn't- Tylen-" He winced, pain searing across the stretched and aching places in his mind. "'Lendel-" He felt a different kind of pain, deep in his heart when the back of Tylendel's hand struck bitingly across his cheek. Tears welled hotly in his eyes, spilling over his cheeks. He felt something break, deep inside him, as the thread connecting he and Tylendel snapped. All other pain in his body and mind was forgotten in that moment and he sank to his knees again, covering his face in his hands.

"Vanyel I-" Tylendel reached forward, to have is hand batted away with a shining blade instead. He turned, seeing Raveyne's eyes, the color of the sea before a storm trained on his.

"Leave him." Raveyne stepped forward, his teeth bared and Tylendel drew his sword, sending sparks off when the two clashed. "You hurt him-" He shook his head, using the hilt of his sword to catch Tylendel's blade, pushing him backward as he Reached, tapping into the fear and deep ache that threatened to consume Vanyel's heart and mind, reflecting it back to Tylendel, not just the immediate grief, but the fear, anxiety, and desperation that had surrounded the boy ever since Staven's death.

"You don't understand! They killed Staven- my twin- I need Vanyel's energies to be able to prove to the Leshara- to teach them that they can't-" Tylendel shook his head, striking back at Raveyne, blades clashing again. Under the mage light, they both looked to be specters, shadows battling in the dark. "This is the only way to make things right! They can't get away with this! And I can't open the Gate on my own! It's the only way!" He whirled back at Raveyne, his eyes burning hotly, cutting across his arm.

Raveyne hissed in surprise and pain, turning his blade, pushing Tylendel backward again. He was hesitant to strike back at him full force, with his opponent half out of his mind. Instead he used his blows to push Tylendel back against the hedge, limiting his movements enough to keep himself safe, and Vanyel out of harm's way. "You do not understand! You think- only of you-" He caught Tylendel's sword, pinning it up against his chest, "You hurt – one who loves only you-" _You stupid selfish bastard –_ He bared his teeth, dodging away from Tylendel's blade when he freed it. Neatly, he linked his hilt against Tylendel's, pulling the sword from his hands sending it to the ground.

Tylendel dropped, reaching for the blade, to see Raveyne's boot pin the blade down. The dark haired man tucked the point of his blade under Tylendel's chin, lifting it. None of his words had seemed to reach Tylendel's ears, he was as livid as before, and twice as mad, his wrath transferring from the hated Leshara to the opponent in front of him. "Damn you!" He stood and grabbed at the shoulders of Raveyne's cloak tackling him backward onto the road in a cloud of dust. His knuckles met Raveyne's lip, splitting it. Fharluk looked on anxiously, keening, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She reached forward, long teeth snagging at Tylendel's cloak, dragging him backward away from Raveyne. She hissed between her teeth when he struggled, shaking him back and forth.

Tylendel struggled back, his feet leaving tracks in the dirt path. He muttered, motioning with his hands, reciting the words from the second spell he had copied from Savil's book. A rift opened, several creature appearing from seemingly nowhere. They had long snakelike heads and greyhound bodies that wound sinuously around each other before their heads turned in unison to the young man on the ground.

A chime of Companion hooves, two sets, rang against the road, Ilia, rushing forward to come to the aid of her Chosen, shrieking, lashing out at the _wyrsa_ with sharp hooves. The other, Gala, turned to Tylendel, their eyes meeting. He cried out at the sorrow and grief in her eyes, and the sound of her Voice in his mind. _:I do not know you-you are not my Chosen.: _He tore himself away from the dragon's clutches, rushing toward Gala. She joined Ilia, standing between the pack of _wyrsa_ and Raveyne as he climbed to his feet, picking up the sword.

"_Gala!"_ Tylendel screamed, throwing himself in front of Gala. The _wyrsa_ swarmed forward, lashing out with long canine fangs at his arms and throat. Gala shrieked, fangs tearing long ribbons in her coat, slashing at her belly as her hooves came down on the head of one of the creatures.

Raveyne turned and covered Vanyel's stricken body with his own. When Tylendel had released him, he had gone catatonic, numb to his surroundings. "[Fharluk! _These_ you can eat!]" He turned around, nodding to the dragonlet.

Fharluk stood up on her hind legs, her head nearly fifteen feet from the ground when she shot flame toward the pack. Several of them turned, whimpering as their hides caught fire. She took a few steps forward, snapping her jaws at the doglike bodies, rending one in half. One that had been injured by a kick to the head was crushed under her feet as she sprang, birdlike, into the fray. She found the taste of _wyrsa_ to be unpleasant, and spat corpses out as readily as she bit into them, tossing half of one over the hedge with a violent shake of her head. Although the _wyrsa_ were fast, Fharluk's much longer legs were more than a match for them. She bounded after the last remaining creature, chasing it into the woods, snapping at its heels. She batted with one clawed hand, sending the _wyrsa _into the air with a yelp, butting it with her head, sending the broken body flying again. She squealed with delight, chasing after the body, biting into it and shaking her head again, sending pieces that escaped her jaws flying.

Savil ducked as the head of a _wyrsa _flew past Kellan's nose and the Companion fell back on his hind legs for a moment. Kellan had alerted her, through Gala, that Tylendel had gone mad, shut her out completely and run off with Vanyel. Sure enough, when she had checked their room, neither was to be found. She'd scarcely had time to collect Jaysen and follow Gala out of Haven. "What in the Gods' name-"

Her heart clutched, seeing the body of a Companion, and a second body of a human, topped with blonde curls in the midst of a slew of dismembered _wyrsa._ She dropped to one knee, turning his head, half of her still hoping to be wrong. "Oh _ashke-_" Tears ran down her cheeks and she gathered the crumpled body to her.

"Savil-" Jaysen alerted her attention to more pressing- and living- concerns, taking out an emergency medical kit, tending to some nasty clawmarks in Ilia's hide. Savil nodded, putting aside her grief for the moment, stroking Ilia's nose. "Raveyne- are you all right? What happened?" She lifted Raveyne's chin in her hand, seeing Vanyel, balled up with his eyes wide and staring under Raveyne's cloak. "Vanyel- is he-"

"Not dead. Shock I think, Savil." Raveyne nodded and stood, holding Vanyel's limp body in his arms. "Tylendel-" His brow knotted, trying to remember the words used, damning his inexperience with their language. "He- said he needed- Vanyel for- energy. For- Gate- he struck him- broke-" He pressed his lips together, looking down at the pale face, gone ashy with shock. "-his heart, I think."


	18. Chapter 18: Awakening

Vanyel woke with a blinding headache, his nerves and mind raw with hurt. Everything hurt, within and without. The channels he had been vaguely aware of when Tylendel tapped into them burned, seethed in the back of his mind and made it nearly impossible to think straight. He balled up tighter in the center of the large bed and groaned lowly. _'Lendel-_ Tears ran down his cheeks, staining the pillow below his head. The place in his heart that Tylendel has occupied felt empty, leaving him hollow and somehow husked out. He remembered, vaguely, riding out of Haven with Tylendel, and then nothing but pain.

"Savil-" Raveyne stood and poked his head into the sitting room. Savil was already on her feet, ready to be at Vanyel's side as soon as she'd Sensed him stir. Not that she could much help it, the way the boy was projecting, half of the Heralds in Valdemar were aware every time he rolled over. She nodded as she brushed past Raveyne, resting a hand on Vanyel's head. While he was unconscious, she and a few of the other available Heralds kept shields on Vanyel to keep him under control. For the past week, Vanyel had slept fitfully, mostly dead to the world.

_Oh Lad, I wish we would have known- how lost you were._ Savil perched on the edge of his bed and rested her hand lightly on his fevered forehead. "Vanyel?"

"Aunt?" Pale silver eyes flickered open and met hers, and Savil felt her heart twist at the pain in them. She looked to Raveyne when he crouched down next to her with his hands clasped in front of his mouth. "Raveyne?" Vanyel sat up a little to see him better. "Why- what are you doing here?" _:You were there- I didn't- why can't I Feel Tylendel? Where is he?:_

Raveyne winced internally and took care to shield his reaction from Vanyel. Part of him had hoped Vanyel would finally See him, with Tylendel gone, but apparently this was not the case. His head lowered against the plush blankets, leaving Savil to explain what he could not, what he did not have the language for.

"Vanyel-" Internally, Savil cursed, wishing for Tantras' skill with people, for just a fraction of his tact if only for Vanyel's sake. "Tylendel is… he… the _wyrsa_ fell on him. We arrived too late to-" Unbidden, the vision of Tylendel's body flashed across her mind tears filled her eyes. The room shimmered unpleasantly and the Herald pinched the bridge of her nose, stilling her shaking lip. On the bed, Vanyel wailed, balling up tightly into the blankets, covering his face with his hands. Too late, Savil realized he must have Seen the image in her mind and redoubled her shields.

"Nooo! He can't- he can't be-" _:It's my fault, it's all my fault. If I would have just done what he asked, not questioned him, or if I would have told someone Tylendel would be I weren't so stupid, so worthless-:_ His thoughts and the deep aching despair broadcast to anyone within reach, in spite of the heavy shields Savil, Jaysen, and Tantras kept on him. To those with even a touch of Mindspeech, the emotional blast was accompanied by his desperate thoughts.

Raveyne stood and clasped Vanyel's hands, shaking his head. "No. Vanyel," He passed a moment to keep his footing when he was hit with the blast from Vanyel. The intensity of his grief rocked him to his core, negating all of his thoughts for the moment. He exhaled slowly and cupped Vanyel's cheek in his hand. "Vanyel, Tylendel Called the- the things- and they turned on him. He- was full of dark and- it ate him from inside out-"

"You were there?" Vanyel's silver eyes met Raveyne's pale blue ones. "You were there, why didn't you-" He Reached, and pulled Raveyne forward, then pushed him back hard against the wall, sending him stumbling backward onto the floor. "You were there! Why didn't you stop it! Why didn't you help him?" He grimaced, baring his teeth like an animal, sitting up on the bed in spite of his aching head and body.

"Ngh," Raveyne grunted, and braced himself, landing hard on his ass and palms. Later he'd have a bruise there, he figured. He frowned and pulled himself back up slowly, his heart aching more than his body. "I covered you- so they would not harm you-" He looked back at Vanyel, resting his hand lightly on Vanyel's anticipating being shoved to the ground again by Vanyel's strange Power. "I did not want you hurt-"


	19. Chapter 19: Can I Come?

"Why?" Raveyne tipped his head to the side as Savil gathered her belongings, packing a small bag efficiently. She was looking drawn, thinner than usual. The effort it took to restrain Vanyel's power was starting to show on all the Heralds involved. Even without this most recent crisis, the Herald-Mages were spread thin, too thin to meet all the demands that seemed to keep cropping up.

_And now this. _She tossed her bag unceremoniously onto her bed, and turned around, facing Raveyne. Or at least, she faced his chest. She tipped her chin up, resting a hand on Raveyne's shoulder. Part of her, the part that was stretched fine and taught with stress begged to snap at him. The other part, the Herald part of her, realized that Raveyne, perhaps more than anyone felt not just Vanyel's anguish, but that of everyone involved, including her own. When she looked at his eyes, that thought was confirmed. He looked chastised by the brief flash of consternation that had made it through her shields. Raveyne kept his own shields up at all times, and still usually managed to Sense those around him, whether they were shielded or not.

"I'm sorry lad. It's not you, I'm just at the end of my rope. We're _all_ being stretched too thin, trying to contain Vanyel, and all we're doing is barely keeping him from destroying himself. Or us." She took a slow breath and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, "My hope is that the _Tayledras_ will be able to do what we can't. Help him, heal him, teach him, and if they can't then at least _contain_him."

Raveyne's brow knotted and he suddenly found the floor between them very interesting. "Contain—they would keep him there?"

"They would have to, lad. You've seen Vanyel- when his father came; he tossed him around like a rag doll. And that's without any training whatsoever. With any training, especially the wrong training, he could be dangerous." She lifted the young man's chin with a knuckle to see his eyes, "To all of us. Raveyne, you've Felt it yourself, he's hurt and angry and ready to take it out on anyone around him. Deserved or not-"

He frowned and batted her hand away, taking a step back. "I can come? I- can Shield him more-"

"No. I'm sorry. The _Tayledras_ don't take very kindly to strangers. And that goes for the land as well as the people. My hope is that Vanyel will be all right, because he's my blood, and I'm a _Tayledras_ Wingsister. And I'm going to have to Gate there, it's too far to risk riding with him this way-"

"Fharluk! Fharluk could take- Vanyel, and me. She would carry-" he motioned with one hand flying through the air, making a _whooshing_ sound. "Very fast. No time, he would be safe, even to _Tayledras_. And she is Magic, they would know her-" He nodded, eyes shining, watching Savil's face. "No horses to- move too much. Smooth-"

"Raveyne, that doesn't change the fact that you can't be there. They would never allow themselves to be seen by a stranger." She sighed and picked up her bag, shaking her head slightly. It was unusual enough that she had been accepted by the _Tayledras_, and that primarily because of her unusually strong Magegift. Raveyne was an Empath, an unusual, but not a mage. Not to mention, still a trainee. "I'm sorry, no."

He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, watching Savil go about the business of packing for her and Vanyel, sorting through some of the ridiculous clothing he'd brought from Forst Reach to try and find something suitable. She settled on a red tunic and pants with a minimal amount of braiding and beading. "He does not like those."

"It isn't going to matter. The _Tayledras_ aren't as concerned with material things anyway." She folded up the clothing, closing thewardrobe.

"He does not like them!" Raveyne stood quickly, and tugged the clothing from her hands, eyes glittering hotly. "You-" Savil, taken aback by his outburst released the shirt before it could tear. "You do not _know_ him."

"And you do?" She bit back at him, folding her arms across her chest. "He's been impossible since he got here, and only now can I see that he relied on Tylendel completely, for everything. With him gone, he's completely lost, I doubt if _Vanyel_knows who Vanyel as half the time these days." She took a breath, grinding the heels of her hands into her eyes. "I know. I know that he's hurting, and that he's been hurting for a long time. Which is why no one has been able to get close to him." She looked back at Raveyne, seeing him watch her placidly. He arched one eyebrow implacably. "Except for Tylendel. And except for- you."

Raveyne responded by tapping the tip of his nose, withholding a smirk. "He talked to me. He hurts now, but-" He shrugged, meeting Savil's gaze. "_Tayledras,_do not like humans on their land." He shrugged. "I am not human."


End file.
